With Benefits
by kardamon
Summary: I was always a good girl. All proper and polite, apologies and smiles. You know the type – getting home early, no parties, no smoking, no hard drinking. No sex. That's how I used to be. And look where it got me. Maybe it was time to stop trying so hard and let loose. Maybe it was time for change. Bill could go f..k himself. I had a better plan. And it didn't include him.
1. Prologue

**Hi, guys! So, I started another story and I wanted it to be something light. If you're looking for some complicated plot and heavy drama, you're probably going to be disappointed. This is just some Sookie-Eric silliness – basically both of them trying to convince you and themselves, that this is all about this river in Egipt, you know which one... I don't want it to get _too_ graphic, but it's probably going to get smutty in some point. It starts in book 3, but will contain spoilers for later books too. Also, Sookie might be a little OOC, but I hope you'll forgive me. You've been warned.**

**I'm not sure how long it's going to be, but it depends on your interest in this story, so please let me know if you like the idea! Annnnnd, if anyone would like to beta it for me, I'd be thrilled!**

**Disclaimer: I don't have rights to the Sookieverse. Sookieverse has no rights to me. We're even.**

* * *

WITH BENEFITS

Prologue

.

'Eric', I said.

Or rather, I tried to say. I came out more like a moan.

'Mmmm... yes, Lover?', he breathed straight into my ear.

I shivered.

'This is enough', I said weakly. 'I need to go.'

'No, no, no, no', he mumbled into my skin. 'We're not done here.'

He run his fingers along my sides. I would be _so_ much easier to argue with him if I were not sprawled across his desk with him on top of me and I were not drunk on pleasure he'd just given me.

He kissed my neck and I sighed. I closed my eyes to gather my strength, but all I achieved was falling harder under his spell.

But it had to be done, so I lifted myself reluctantly on my elbows and said:

'Thank you, Eric, tonight was great, but I'm going home now.'

You may think me cold for saying something like this, and truth to be told, I felt weird saying it, but I was really through a lot lately and determined not to engage emotionally. I needed to be tough.

Now that I experienced it first hand, I knew how easy it would be to get lost in Eric, but I wasn't about to let it happen.

'I don't want you to go', he told me petulantly. 'I want to do this again.'

He almost pouted. He looked as close to adorable, as it was possible when you're six foot tall, thousand years old, deadly vampire.

'I'm not looking for a relationship right now', I said firmly.

Which was funny, really, because he said nothing suggesting it. All the same he said:

'You're not?'

I could tell it surprised him.

'Oh. Ok.'

I wanted to roll my eyes. I jumped from the desk and started dressing. Reluctantly. God, it was so awkward.

He didn't stop me, but he was staring at me and I knew he was thinking hard.

'I still want to see you', he clarified.

'Well, that's too bad. It was a one-time thing. I needed to take it out. And you were perfect for that.'

I kissed him quickly then. What can I say? I'm only human.

And he was good. Soooo good.

He furrowed his eyebrows. I could tell he was thinking hardly. I shifted my weight embarrassed and tried not to look at him. What do you say to your one-night stand slash spectacular rebound at the end of the night? I wouldn't know. I've never been in a situation like this before.

'So. Errrm. Bye', I said lamely and turned on my heel.

'What if we make a deal?', his voice reached me unexpectedly just as I was about to turn a knob and I froze in place.

'A deal?', I repeated dumbly. 'What to you mean: a deal?'

* * *

**Is there anybody who'd like to read more and find out how did they get there and what was the deal?**


	2. Before it starts

**Hello my dear readers! I'm so happy so many of you liked the beginning of this story! Also, I wanted to thank these of you who left me reviews but were not logged in, so I couldn't thank them personally.**

**Breathesgirl was so kind that she offered to beta for me, so you don't have to deal with my pseudo-grammar.**

**I don't always remember the exact time-line, so it might be imperfect.**

**I still don't own them and don't expect it to change.**

**Anyway, here is the first chapter.**

* * *

None of this would have ever happened if I had a computer of my own. I didn't. It happened.

Looking back now, knowing what I know, I don't think I regret it. Sure, it was hard. It hurt. As for my resulting deal with Eric – well, that was just plain crazy. I don't want to even start imagining how things would have turned out had I not learned the truth.

.

That morning my vacuum cleaner broke in the middle of cleaning. The problem was, I didn't know anyone in Bon Temps who would be willing to repair it and I certainly couldn't afford a new one.

After a few minutes of unsuccessfully trying to revive it (by turning it off and on again) I decided I should probably go to the library and use the internet to search for the nearest repairman. Before I left I remembered that Bill had a computer and internet access at his place. I thought: _why don't I go and try to turn on his computer?_

I felt a little guilty about using it without asking him first but he was out of town and it was daytime so I couldn't call him. It wasn't like I was planning on rummaging through his personal files, I just wanted to use his browser to find the information I needed.

So that's what I did. I went to Bill's, found his laptop and fired it up. Only when it turned on it didn't open to his desktop view. You see, Bill Compton, computer geek, the creator of the top-secret vampire information project, not only didn't make sure that his personal laptop was password protected, he didn't shut it down properly before leaving too. He 'hibernated' it. Meaning: it opened on the last thing he'd been doing when he'd used it, which happened to be reading an e-mail from his lover.

'Dear Willy', I read, shocked. What the heck – Willy?, 'Here is my address in Jackson. I trust you've already taken care of the things you need to before leaving like you said you would. I will see You tomorrow.' I paused. Jackson? Bill was supposed to be in Seattle! 'Otherwise, I'll have to punish you and I would hate to do this.

Now, I know what a naughty boy you are and that you'd probably enjoy that at least a little bit, but don't make me wait. I have to admit, it's been too long and I've missed you – our little skype…_ session..._last week was lovely, but it was not enough...' _Session_? What does that mean? And why do I have a feeling I don't really want to know? '...I'm looking forward to getting _in touch _with You again...'

Ok. What. The. Hell?

'Don't worry about your queen – if she gives you a hard time about leaving without informing her, you can always tell her that I commanded you to go. She can't question it since I'm your maker.

Always Yours,

Lola'

I stared at the screen dumbstruck. Just who, in the name of all that's holy, is this bitch? I glanced at the sender name. 'Lorena Ball' (lola1342 – was the number her birth date?). Well, it told me nothing.

I thought for a minute: I was pretty sure Bill was lying and cheating on me. I was still too shocked to feel anything but at this point I lost any qualms I might have had about doing it otherwise and scanned his inbox for more e-mails from Lorena. I found them easily and read them quickly.

By the time I was half way through them my stomach was churning.

I also read Bill's e-mails to her. He seemed quite affectionate in them. I couldn't believe it! He really had an affair! Or maybe that was what I was for him? Was I 'the other' woman? It was possible. I mean, Lorena was Bill's maker (he even addressed her as 'My Mistress' which almost gave me a seizure - I couldn't help but imagine her as some kind of cross between Lolita and a dominatrix – think pigtails and leather).

Theoretically I knew it meant she probably could make him do anything, even if he didn't want to. I also couldn't help but think that he seemed awfully affectionate in his letters for someone who was forced to do anything.

Something else caught my eye while browsing through his e-mails. It was a message from someone named 'Sophie-Anne' and it was titled 'Re: telepath update'. This time I felt a cold chill run down my spine. Did Bill tell someone about me? I was past caring about his privacy at this point. I opened it.

If Lorena's e-mails made me queasy, this was another thing entirely. A whole new level of awfulness.

It chilled me to the bone.

…_I expect results soon. I hope you know what you're doing, William _(well – I thought – at least they didn't call him Willy again),_ but I have to say, I'm concerned with Northman's interest in the girl. There is a reason why I specifically asked you not to inform him about your mission in his area. The Viking is a loyal subject and I value him which is why I do not wish to antagonise him but he is also a very pragmatic man (which often comes in handy) and I have no doubt he'll try to bargain when he figures out I'm taking an asset from his territory.I repeat, I do not wish a conflict with the Northman. This is why I gave you this task – to do this discreetly and with the finesse I know you have from your time as my procurer. The girl should be happy to come live with me..._

It went on like this for what seemed like forever. You get the gist. I don't want to repeat it, or even think about it, frankly. I read all of Sophie-Anne's e-mails to Bill and his to her. All of his... reports. On me.

You see,_ I _was the mission. Sophie-Anne was Bill's queen and she desired to procure herself a telepath so she sent Bill to do this for her. This was why he returned to Bon Temps. This was the single reason why he appeared in my life.

There was never love. There was never trust. Affection. Heck, I'm not sure if there was even a real attraction on his side. The way he wrote about me, cold and emotionless... how I was sweet but simple-minded, naïve and... inexperienced. That I was a virgin. Yes, he actually wrote about it in one of his reports.

That was where I stopped reading. I'd had enough. I couldn't take a single word more. I shut the laptop and threw it against the wall without turning it off. I screamed. I trashed the room. I broke the flower-pots with the flowers which he asked me to water in his absence. I ripped and kicked, cursed and destroyed.

Then I sat, exhausted, on the floor and hugged my knees and cried.

I had nothing. It was all a lie.

Now I was all alone.

So, what did I do?

I said, screw him. Only as it turned out, by 'him' I didn't mean Bill. I meant Eric and that's exactly what I did. Oh, boy, did I ever. But not right away. No. That came later.

* * *

**No Eric in this chapter. Sorry. But hopefully it explains at least a little bit Sookie's sudden need for change of attitude. Let me know what you think!**


	3. The devil you know

**I can't promise you that I'll always be able to update so often, but here is another one.**

**Big thanks for my beta, Breathesgirl, for getting it ready so fast!**

**Don't worry. There is nothing to be ashamed of. I don't own SVM either.**

* * *

Previously: _You see, _I _was the mission. Sophie-Anne was Bill's queen who desired to procure herself a telepath. So she sent Bill to do this for her. This was why he returned to Bon Temps. This was the single reason why he appeared in my life._

_They was never love. There was never trust. Affection. Hell, I'm not sure if there was even a real attraction on his side. _

* * *

I grieved my relationship with Bill and nursed my broken heart for two whole weeks.

I moped and cried and ate a ton of ice-cream – and not much else.

I spent hours staring blankly at my ceiling thinking about his betrayal and my miserable existence and neglected all the housework. I looked like shit. I didn't smile and I was getting pitiful tips at work.

And then, one morning, I wasn't.

You ask what changed. I could probably tell you that I just got a grip on myself or that I realised that I had to prepare myself for when the queen comes to collect me and make some kind of a plan or at least stay alert. I could have told myself he wasn't worth it.

Well, I did. And he wasn't. But these weren't the reasons why I took back my life and went to Fangtasia.

No. The truth is... I got horny.

Don't laugh. I kid you not. There is nothing funny about it. In fact, I was so frustrated that I turned from a sad puppy into an über bitch overnight.

I tried to fight it. I tried to ignore it but it just wouldn't go away. I thought maybe I could wait it out but I have to admit, I got a little rebellious. I mean, I was always trying to be proper and polite, to do the right thing. I'd been a _good girl_ for such a long time. I lost my virginity when I was twenty-five, for crying' out loud and look where that got me!

Maybe – I reasoned – just maybe it was time to let loose, try a different approach. Maybe I got it all wrong and I should just let go. Maybe caring was a mistake.

I needed... I don't know. Distraction? Definitely. Closure? Probably. Revenge? Not to get all dramatic but I wanted, needed, a rebound. People do it all the time, don't they? Would it really be so wrong? I am an adult. I have sexual needs. I want to have fun from time to time. I don't want to start another relationship yet, but... so... Okay, so maybe I wanted to say 'fuck you, Bill Compton, I can have whomever I want and I don't need you at all' too. Just a little bit.

My point is: was it wrong of me? Or only natural, and maybe even healthy? If it could help me with moving on, then why not.

Yeah, well, like I said, I was feeling rebellious at the time. Maybe I was reacting this way because I didn't get to experience this kind of emotional state in my teenage years like everybody else. I don't know.

I realized I'd been plotting to do this even before I consciously admitted it to myself. I started wearing more make-up to work. Curling my hair. Flirting with the customers at Merlotte's, smiling at Sam. That's where I drew the line though. Whatever the hell I was doing I wasn't going to do it at my workplace or with someone I was going to see afterwards on a daily basis. I didn't want to hurt anybody or get involved, so Sam was out of the question.

The thing was, I didn't want to get hurt either. I was still a little afraid of giving myself to a stranger. Also, I wanted it to be pleasurable, not a chore. Which meant I needed to find someone I was attracted to. It wouldn't hurt if I liked them at least a little bit too. Don't ask me why Eric was the first one who popped into my head.

I told myself it was a bad idea and tried to let the thought go but I couldn't seem to stop thinking about it. In some ways he was ideal, really. I couldn't hear his thoughts which was a big positive. It's always been a problem for me with men but silent mind meant vampire and there was no one else other than Eric that I would trust with myself. I knew for sure he wasn't involved in this whole procuring thing so I felt safe on this front too. It didn't hurt that Bill was always jealous of him either. He was a vampire so I didn't have to worry about getting pregnant or getting some nasty disease. Was it cold of me to think this? Perhaps. But cold was what I was aiming for at the moment. No. More. Heartache. Remember? Plus, it was only responsible to consider everything.

And, let's face it: Eric is hot as hell. I didn't know from experience but I was certain he was great in bed, so it would be good. Hopefully better than good.

If I am honest with myself, I think that somehow, deep down, I believed he wouldn't hurt me or judge me for what I was doing.

He wanted me. I wanted him. It was simple, really - or so I was telling myself.

So, if you're asking how I ended up drinking shots of tequila at Fangtasia in a fire-engine-red, skin-tight dress and heels right before I got to the dance floor and gave the dirtiest show of my dance skills since high school, all the while daring Eric Northman with my stare from across the room – that's how.

* * *

**Remember! The more reviews I get, the quicker I update.**


	4. The deal

**Hi, I have a new chapter for you! You like?**

**We're finally back at Eric's office in Fangtasia to hear about this deal Eric had in mind...**

**As always, thanks for my Beta, Breathesgirl!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own them. If I had, you'd know about it!**

* * *

Previously: _'What if we make a deal?', his voice reached me unexpectedly just as I was about to turn a knob and I froze in place._

_'A deal?', I repeated dumbly. 'What to you mean: a deal?'_

_..._

Eric moved gracefully to sit on his couch and patted a spot next to him. I eyed him warily but stepped back into his office.

You're probably wondering what the hell was I thinking. I often ask myself that same question.

He looked expectantly at me so I sighed and reluctantly sat on the other end of the couch. I had to be careful not to stomp on something on my way since there were various objects scattered on the floor from when he'd pushed them from his desk. I tried to put a space between us but Eric was so tall that his arm, which was lying on the backrest, was still brushing against my shoulders. He raised an eyebrow and eyed the distance between us.

"Are you finding my closeness distracting, Miss Stackhouse?"

I wasn't about to admit it but he was onto something. It wasn't my fault though – his belt was still undone. And he was shirtless. He was very... well, distracting. I decided to ignore his question.

"What do you want, Eric?" I asked.

Wrong turn of phrase.

He leered at me and I was very aware of the fact that I looked freshly fucked.

"First, as much as I like the dress – and I really do love it - I want you to take it off but leave your stockings and heels on..."

"Ok, ok!' I interrupted quickly, certain that he was more than ready to describe all the details of his fantasy, "stop right now!"

I was blushing furiously. Yes, I decided to be this Brand New Sookie but that didn't mean it was easy or that I was used to dirty talking. Telling myself that now I'm going to be free, strong and rebellious was one thing, but this... this was still a little overwhelming for me.

Eric shrugged and grinned, "You asked."

"You know very well that is not what I wanted you to tell me! What deal were you talking about?"

Eric straightened, suddenly he was all business.

"I think we can come up with an agreement which would be mutually beneficial for both of us," he announced in his smoothest voice.

I blinked.

"You mean...," I started cautiously, 'like, what? You mean... sex?"

He nodded without as much as batting an eyelash. He had no shame. I bet he wasn't even aware that this chat was something he should be ashamed about to begin with.

"Among other things, yes."

I started to stand up.

"Eric, I already told you...," but he interrupted me by rudely grabbing me and pulling me back to the couch – this time much closer to him, might I add.

"Sookie, wait, I know what you said, but think about it. You told me yourself that you don't want to start another relationship right now. If you don't date you have to find some other way to satisfy your needs. From what I understand it's not safe for women to pick up men at the bars. What are you going to do about sex?"

I snorted. He was blunt, alright.

"I'm touched by your concern for my sex life but it's really simple. I don't _have_ to sleep with anybody, Eric. If I don't have a boyfriend I can just take a break."

"You want to have no sex at all?" Eric looked bewildered and maybe even slightly horrified. "I don't understand. Why would you want that?"

_Indeed, why would I_, asked my New Self. I like sex. A lot. Why should I deny myself? Who am I saving myself for?

"The fact I'm here doesn't mean that I plan to sleep around with whoever happens to cross my path", I said defensively. "It doesn't sound like fun to me. All these men in Fangtasia tonight, on the dance floor? Every single one of them thought they were such hot stuff. Well, they are not."

"That's what I'm telling you," Eric quipped without missing a beat. "You don't have to sleep with them, you can sleep with me."

A blatant but unspoken statement: _I am HOT_. I could make a sarcastic comment but it was pointless, simply because he had every right to say that. He _was_ hot. This was, after all, why I came here in the first place.

I took a deep breath.

"Look, what I'm saying is that we can take care of each other, and be happier if we do," he continued before I had a chance to shoot him down. "You think _I_ find the fangbangers more appealing than you? I don't. I enjoyed myself very much tonight. I know you did too."

Yep, no shame.

I stared at him for a full minute. I couldn't believe I was having this conversation with Eric Northman.

But he was... kind of... right. I definitely _did_ enjoy myself. Damn him!

"Are you proposing for us to be...fuck-buddies?" I blurted finally, just to be sure.

He scrunched his nose in distaste.

"I don't like this term...," he said, surprising me.

I wouldn't have guessed it would have offended his sensibilities. I wasn't sure Eric _had_ any sensibilities.

Then he finished,

"...fuck-_buddy_. I'm nobody's _buddy_."

Of course.

"Friends with benefits?" I tried instead.

He grinned.

"This one sounds better," he admitted.

"So is that what you're asking for?"

"In a word, yes."

"You said 'among other things'. What 'other things'?' _Wait, was I really considering this?_ "You want blood and sex. What else?"

"Your ability."

"We already have a deal about that Eric."

"I don't mean only in case of emergency. I want you to work for me regularly. Not full-time but, let's say, once a week, if there is nothing urgent."

"This is all great, Eric, but I have to pay my bills," I said skeptically. "I need my job at Merlotte's."

"I would pay you," he answered quickly.

I tensed a little.

"For reading minds for me," he added hastily, probably realizing he was treading on thin ice here. I needed money and couldn't afford giving up my regular job but it was a fine line in the situation we were discussing. "I just want it to be priority over your work for the shifter. If I need you, you would rearrange your work schedule, so that you can come to work for me, not the other way around."

"What would I get in return?" I asked, still sounding slightly skeptical.

"Besides having me as your lover and a second, better paying job?"

"Yes," I said firmly.

If it was going to be a deal I wanted it to be a fair one.

"With heath insurance", he added.

Ok, he got me there. I faltered. You can laugh at me, but health insurance is a big deal for me. Sneaky vampire.

But he wasn't done convinsing me yet,

"Besides that... My protection. Without Bill you're fair game. If I claim you no vampire or other supe would dare touch you unless they're ready to pick a fight with me. If they do I _will_ fight them."

I opened my mouth to scoff at this (I hated all this caveman 'mine' stuff) but a sudden thought stopped me.

_No_ vampire?

I tilted my head.

I might be stubborn but I was not stupid. I still had a vampire queen after me to think about and I had no delusions that I could handle her myself if she was determined to have me.

Would she send someone else for me? She wrote that she wanted me in New Orleans. Did that mean she would take me there? I knew this Sophie-Anne didn't want a fight with Eric. Was he my best shot?

Plus, it wasn't like there was anything unattractive in the part of the deal that meant I'd be sleeping with Eric. Crazy, sure, and probably not such a good idea, but attractive nonetheless.

I knew next to nothing about the queen so I couldn't really predict if working for Eric was better than working for her would be or if it only seemed safer for me now because he was familiar to me. But at the same time, I couldn't ignore the fact, that Eric's practices spoke for themselves since he _had_ agreed to my terms before and he was sitting here, now, _negotiating_ with me while she had sent someone to _procure_ me. Eric was a vampire and, as such, I didn't expect him to see humans as his equals but he was still treating me like a person.

As much as I would not trust Eric with my heart, there were some things I liked about him.

_Like his ass!_ – shouted my newly discovered slutty alter-ego. _And his..._

Shut up, Sookie!

_But his ass is really nice._

"It's simple", Eric resumed while I was trying to figure it all out, "you work for me, I pay you. You give me your blood, I make sure nobody else will draw it for any reason. We give each other our company. If I need you, I call you and you come to me. If you need me, you call me and I come to you."

Yes, he made it sound so simple.

But there was another catch.

* * *

**Sookie is a tough cookie. I don't think I'd be able to focus after Eric Experience.**


	5. and the seal

**This one comes with a hint of lemon.**

**Disclaimer: Don't worry. I'm not the owner of these characters. So, you don't have to worry about, for example, Sookie declaring J.B. or Bobby Burnham the love of her life. Or, let's see, Pam marrying Bill. Nope. Not gonna happen.**

**Seriously, though. If we're talking about Sookie's love life, between what's going on in TB and SVM I feel safe only in FF.**

**Beta'd by Breathesgirl**

* * *

Previously:

'_If I claim you, no vampire or any other supe would dare to touch you, unless they're ready to pick a fight with me. And if they do, I _will _fight them.'_

_I opened my mouth to scoff at him, but a sudden thought stopped me. I still had a vampire queen after me to think about. Would she send someone else for me? She wrote that she wanted me in New Orleans. Did it mean she would take me there? I knew this Sophie-Anne didn't want a fight with Eric. Was he my best shot?_

_But there was another catch._

"What if one of us is no longer happy with the deal? What if I change my mind?" I asked.

"I assure you, you will not."

"But what if?"

He shrugged, "If it happens, and one of us wants out, we can always dissolve the deal but you don't need to worry about it. You will not have a reason to quit. I will not let that happen."

He seemed awfully sure of it.

"At any time?"

"Mhhhhm." He clearly didn't see the need to discuss this point any further.

I had a feeling he was getting impatient with all the talking. I bit my lip nervously. Eric was looking at me expectantly. I didn't know what to do. I mean, it didn't seem so bad, at least in my head, but this was just so out of character for me. I wasn't sure how I felt about it.

"I... don't know..." I said hesitantly.

"Let me persuade you," he purred, leaning over me.

See? Impatient.

Earlier tonight it took him five whole minutes to drag me to his office and get me naked – well, that is once he finally approached me after watching me on the dance floor. I was sure the reason it took him THAT long was because he was suspicious of my behaviour and was trying to figure out if I was teasing him. Once he determined that was not the case he got this look on his face. You know the one. The one that says 'to hell with it' and decided to ask questions later.

This was later. He was asking questions, just not the ones I expected. I gulped.

"Eric... I..."

"Shshhh..."

His arms snaked around me. He kissed my neck. I sighed. What was it about him? My skin tingled wherever he touched it.

"_This_," he whispered into my ear. "We could have_ this_ any time we wanted."

He pulled me onto his lap and I could already feel myself melting into him. His hands roamed. I was still a little unsure but then I thought – so what if it doesn't work? I already did it once, what difference would it make? Eric told me I could always call it quits. What do I have to lose?

My resolve was crumbling.

"Do you promise you will let me go if I change my mind?" I asked quietly.

He chuckled. "Yes," he said as he kissed a path along my clavicle.

I got the impression he was giving up so easily because he was too cocky to believe he wouldn't be able to erase my doubts but his promise was good enough for me.

Once more I took a deep breath, "Okay then. Let's try it."

I let my own hands explore his body.

I felt him smiling against my skin. "You won't regret this," he assured me, raising his head to look at me. "Shall we seal the deal?"

I laughed and teased, "I don't suppose you're talking about shaking hands are you?"

He smirked, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Not really."

So I kissed him and he kissed me back with enthusiasm. He was really good at kissing.

"Delicious," he said when I had to break away to take a breath, "but I wasn't talking about a kiss either."

"Oh, is that so?" I drawled.

Suddenly, under Eric's heated gaze, I felt like this sexy woman again, the one I turned into for a short time when I entered the club earlier this evening. The woman who wasn't afraid of catching stares or seducing him. She was a minx but I kind of liked her. I think Eric liked her too.

Being her was not easy but it was very liberating. It was almost making me dizzy, this sexy woman thing. Being able to let most of my inhibitions go was... exhilarating. The things I was feeling were hard to describe. In that moment I felt like I could do anything, be anyone.

Feeling a rush of courage I took the edge of my dress, tugged and threw it over my head before I lost the nerve. It landed on the floor. Eric growled. He looked me up and down appreciatively. He'd ripped my underwear earlier so I didn't have any on. Only the stockings and heels he'd mentioned before.

"You are magnificent," he told me.

No one had ever considered me magnificent, and sure as hell no one had said that I was. He had this hungry look so I believed he meant it. It was a heady feeling. I smiled smugly and ran my hands along his sculpted arms, luxuriating in the feel of his cool, smooth skin and well defined muscles. It was like touching marble, only he was much more flexible than your typical statue. I had to admit, it felt great to know this beautiful man was mine for the taking and that I could have him in my bed whenever I wanted.

I knew Eric could have practically any woman he wanted, but yet he was here, with _me_. Since finding out about Bill's duplicity my self esteem was getting a huge boost with the attentions Eric was lavishing me with.

He squeezed my hips so I repositioned myself to straddle him causing him to make a happy noise. He was definitely _up_ for the game, so to speak.

"I anticipate a very promising future for this cooperative venture," he said, making me giggle but then his attention shifted to my breasts.

I was gasping and squirming by the time he spoke again.

Kissing was not the only thing Eric was good at.

"One more thing," he said, his eyes dark and intense.

"Huh?", I forced myself to focus.

I hoped he wasn't trying to distract me and then make me agree to something I wouldn't normally want.

"If we do this, you _don't_ date anybody else, you don't _sleep_ with anybody else," he almost spat. 'If you are to be my lover no one else touches you. Deal or not, I won't share."

I should have seen it coming since vampires are such possessive beasts. Frankly, I hadn't even thought about it but now I was irritated.

"Oh, that's a little unfair, don't you think?" I huffed. "You can't have it both ways! If you make a stipulation like that you'll have to abide by it as well! That's only fair."

My mood darkened. I wasn't sure I could sign up for this if it was going to be like that. It wasn't about faithfulness – I was not his girlfriend. It was about respect.

Eric cocked his head to the side and fell silent for a minute, watching me closely, deep in thought. He was wearing this unreadable mask, which most vampires had perfected, but I could bet he was busy weighing pros and cons in his head. He probably knew that it would be hard to change my mind, so the question was, how much did he really want me?

"Okay," he said with a straight face.

"Okay?" I repeated, dumbfounded.

I hadn't expected him to agree. He nodded and returned to his previous task without wasting a single second.

"Okay what?" I pressed, hoping he meant what I thought he did because I really wanted to let go and enjoy what he was doing to me.

Right then he slowed down to take care of his pants and I had to stop myself from helping him to speed things along so I could keep what little wits I still had.

"Your point is fair. I'll honor it."

_Oh, thank Goodness_ – I sighed with relief. Now I could stop resisting him. I wasn't any good at resistance anyway.

I didn't have the patience to question him further. I didn't want to think about deals and rules any more. In my relief I kissed him and he picked up the pace right from there. My brain shut down and my body took over. I couldn't get enough of him. I had had the thought that once I had him it would be enough. Well, guess what? I was wrong. Once wasn't enough! Like potato chips - one is never enough!

He turned out to be too tempting for me to just move on and forget. Apparently, even though I am trying to be this new sex kitten type thing I'm not a one night stand or love 'em and leave 'em type of gal, at least not with Eric. It seemed simply foolish to pass on more when I knew how good it could be. He was my new favourite guilty pleasure.

He was better than chocolate.

Eric raised his hips to meet me and I made a funny noise. There was nothing small about Eric but that was okay because I was suddenly feeling very greedy.

* * *

**Don't leave me hanging.**


	6. After care

**Big thanks for my Beta, Breathesgirl, for all her hard work on this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Owners are downers.**

* * *

Eric insisted that he should drive me home. I didn't want to let him but he pointed out that I'd been drinking so it wouldn't be wise, not to mention it's illegal to drink and drive. I wasn't drunk and I was sure I'd burned most of it off by now anyway, but ultimately, he was right.

That's why I reluctantly agreed. Even if I called a cab, and spent all that money on one, I didn't want to leave my car in Shreveport. Once I had gotten dressed again, sans underwear, I checked myself in the mirror only to realize there was no way I would be able to hide what we had just done from anyone My makeup was a lost cause and all I could do with my hair was leave it as wild sex hair. I gave a perfect looking, and amused, Eric an annoyed glare and marched myself out of his office.

On my way out the door I glanced at the clock and turned an even deeper shade of red than what I was alreadywhen I realised how much time I'd spent in there. Pam winked at me which just made me want to dig a hole in the floor and hide. She didn't say anything but she sure did assess us both with twinkling eyes. I don't think I'd ever seen Pam looking so... giddy. It was odd. And a little scary.

In the parking lot Eric stuck out his hand expectantly and waited for me to give him the keys. I did so rather reluctantly and made a face. He just smirked.

Watching him folding his large body (did I mention he was big? All of him?) into my tiny old Nova made me feel better. It was hilarious. I followed his lead and climbed into the passenger seat, only it was much easier for me.

"You're car is...," he paused, "A piece of shit."

"Gee, Eric, tell it like ya see it why doncha? I thought, for a split second, that you were trying to at least come up with some sort of euphemism so you wouldn't sound so insulting while bitching about my car."

"I was," he deadpanned.

"Well then, why didn't you?" I asked.

He snickered. "I did."

"Hey!"

He laughed then, no longer holding back.

"It's not that bad!"

"Oh, but it is, Sookie. It is."

Someone was feeling witty tonight. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. He had a strong profile and very regular features, something that made him look both handsome and elegant but still manly beyond any question, even with his smooth, clean shaven jaw and rich, long hair. Right now he looked relaxed and happy.

I fell quiet and he didn't try to make small talk, so we were riding in silence. He didn't even turn on the radio. For some reason it didn't feel uncomfortable.

I didn't mean to stare, but I watched the side of his perfect face for a while. At least I did before I felt it would be rude to do so any longer. What did I really know about Eric? Not much. Did I even know him at all?

That should be an alarming thought, considering what I was getting myself into but, strangely, it wasn't. It was just making me curious. Why was he doing it? I suddenly realised that from what little I did know of him, all this was just as much out of character for him as it was for me, only for entirely different reasons. I knew Eric had wanted me for a long time but, frankly, I assumed it was mostly about the chase.

"I always thought you would lose interest once you hadgotten into my pants," I said before I could stop myself.

We were close to Bon Temps by then.

Eric smiled faintly.

"There was a time when I thought so too," he said.

"What changed?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure. I've always liked you. I find your company... refreshing. I guess you just continued to be interesting. That, and you have the greatest tits I've seen."

I snickered. He was such a man. And he wasn't even trying to hide it.

"What changed _your_ mind?" he asked.

It was my turn to shrug. "I'm not with Bill any more."

He shook his head. "No, there is more to it than that. As much as I would like to think that the two of you breaking up is all it would take for you to come to me, that's not it. I'm not naïve."

"He is a lying, cheating asshole," I said, trying to sound indifferent. "I decided I have had enough of putting my heart on the line for the time being."

"I see. So, am I a rebound?" he asked calmly.

I glanced at him curiously. "Does that bother you?"

"I won't lie. I would prefer if you came to me of your own accord simply because you think I'm irresistible. I'm still glad you came, it doesn't really matter why."

I snorted. That was Eric for you: Honest to the point of being blunt. The thought suddenly sobered me.

"Eric," I said quietly and needed to swallow because my voice came out hoarse.

Damn it! I had been doing so well up to that point!

We were lurching up my driveway. He must have heard something in my voice because he looked at me and stopped the car then he turned to me, "What is it, Sookie?" he asked.

"Promise me... promise me that if you ever get tired of me... you'll just tell me the moment it happens. I won't stop you. I won't be angry. I'll understand. Just promise me... that you will not go behind my back."

At this point that was more important to me than I could tell you. I felt like it wouldn't bother me if he told me in a few days that he was bored and didn't find me interesting any more, or that it was nice, but he wanted to be free to fuck any female that walked into his line of sight – but I don't think I could take it if he were to hide it from me. I just couldn't stand the thought that I'd be fooled yet again.

Eric was always very upfront with me. I had no doubts that he could be manipulative, but I would rather have him twisting the truth than breaking his word, if you know what I mean. I was sure he was capable of tricking me but I hoped he wouldn't flat out lie to me.

"Sookie," he said pulling me out of my thoughts, "look at me."

I did as he asked.

"I'm not him."

"I know that, Eric," I said quietly.

"You have my word."

I took a shaky breath. I was mad at myself. I was supposed to be over Bill and not letting him upset me any further but here I was allowing the thought of him to darken my mood and spoil a perfectly good night. I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

"I didn't want to think about Bill tonight," I sighed dejectedly.

Eric shot me a glance. "Invite me in," he said, "and I'll help you take your mind off him."

His voice was cool and composed. I looked at him for a long while. I searched his eyes but I didn't find what I was afraid of seeing: no pressure, no pity.

He wasn't trying to be funny but he wasn't assuming anything either. His words were simply what they were: an offer. I silently opened my door and got out of the car after gesturing for him to follow me. Still without saying a word I walked up to my home hand in hand with Eric.

"Your driveway is shitty too," he said matter-of-factly, just before we crossed the threshold.

I kissed him to shut him up and thankfully it worked. He graciously followed me to my bedroom.

He didn't disappoint.

* * *

**Sorry for teasing you with all these almost there lemons. If you're waiting for something more, I have good news for you - there WILL be more in future chapters ;)**


	7. The morning after

**Sorry it's short, I didn't have time to write more this week.**

**Disclaimer: If I were the owner of SVM, I'd run before Eric reads the last book and finds me.**

**Beta'd by Breathesgirl**

* * *

Previously:

_I kissed him to shut him up and thankfully it worked. He graciously followed me to my bedroom._

_He didn't disappoint._

It was a doorbell that woke me the next morning. Not my favourite way to wake up. I groaned and stretched. I was still pretty much incoherent. When my eyes landed on the clock and reality hit me.

_Shit!_

I overslept. The reason why I overslept was because... Oh, no, Sookie, don't go there. Not now. You can't afford to be thinking about that right now. You're already late for work.

First things first.

I sprang from my bed and groaned again. I was sore in all the places I wasn't used to, all the good places. I could swear had never felt some of these muscles now before. I wasn't even aware I had them!

Well, no wonder, Sookie, everyone would be sore after...

_No! No! No!_ Shut! Up!

Eric would be so proud of himself.

That's when I realised I was standing, completely naked, in the middle of my room. I cursed quietly and threw an old housecoat on.

"I'm coming!" I yelled so the person ringing the bell so persistently would stop and know I was on my way.

I didn't look in the mirror – I wasn't going to make the same mistake again – but I wasn't stupid. I was sure my hair looked like a rat's nest, so I grabbed a baseball hat on my way to the door.

That's how I opened my door: In a housecoat and a baseball hat. Barefoot. No bra. No panties. Awesome.

I regretted that I didn't have sunglasses to complete my outfit so I could hide behind them: But, hey, I was wearing my Crazy Sookie smile!

If only Pam could see me now...

Thank god it was only a delivery guy. He looked at me funny but he didn't comment. He was a generally nice person, a rarity in this day and age, and he wasn't even thinking anything particularly nasty. He thought I looked like I'd just woken up, which I had, and was probably hung over. If ONLY! He even felt bad for getting me out of bed. My smile became more genuine.

"Can I help you, sir?" I asked.

"Sookie Stackhouse?"

"That's me."

"I have a delivery for you."

He handed me an elegant, flat box. It was white with a red bow. Not too big and completely innocent looking. I took it from him and peeked inside curiously. That turned out to be a bad idea. I shut it and hoped I did it fast enough that he didn't see what was inside. My face was now matchy-matchy with my red bow in the colour department.

I was going to kill Eric!

I signed the papers quickly and went back inside the house. I closed the door and let out a long breath as I opened the box again.

It held the exact item my current outfit lacked: sexy lingerie. Now my face matched the bow AND my gift!

I examined it more closely. Now that I had calmed down, and wasn't afraid someone would see it, I could admit it wasn't so bad: Lacy and silky but not scandalous. I remembered that Eric had ripped my underwear the night before so this was probably a replacement. I had no doubts Eric's gift was of a much better quality and certainly much more expensive.

Okay, so maybe I wasn't going to kill him. In a twisted, pervy Eric type way it was a nice gesture. If only it wasn't forcing me to think about the fact that last night was real and working me into a near panic...

...Working! Work! Yes, that's right! I needed to get to work!

I jogged to the phone and called Merlotte's.

"Merlotte's, Sam speaking."

"Hey Sam, it's Sookie."

"Sookie! What happened? Where are you? Is everything alright? I was beginning to worry!"

"Sam, I'm so sorry, everything is fine, I just overslept."

"Okay. When can you be here?"

I really did have a great boss.

"Give me half an hour."

"Okay, see you then."

I said my goodbyes and hung up. I took a hasty shower and brushed my hair. When I looked in the mirror for the first time that morning something caught my eye. I frowned.

There was something on my neck but I was sure Eric hadn't bitten me there so how could this happen? I examined it more closely and my eyes widened in shock.

I had a hickey. Not a fang mark but a_ freaking hickey_! Was this some kind of vampire joke?

I stared at it helplessly for a moment before deciding to try to cover it with make-up. The cover job wasn't perfect but it worked for the most part. After taking care of it I dove into my room to dig out a fresh uniform and tried to avoid looking at my bed in a laughable attempt to ignore what had happened there last night.

I didn't have time to cook breakfast so I grabbed an apple after I dressed. I could always eat something from the bar on my break.

I left in hurry.

I rushed into the bar calling my apologies to Sam as I threw myself into my work. Fortunately it wasn't very busy so I was able to take care of all my customers pretty quickly.

Despite my late awakening and inner turmoil I discovered that I actually felt quite energized. It was easier to make small talk with the customers, too, since I had managed to work out some of my anger and frustration.

I was now more nervous about the inevitable 'what next' than mad about... well, every single aspect of my life. If I'm going to be honest with myself that's how I'd been feeling since I found out what Bill had really been up to.

After getting things in order my day was running more smoothly... that is, until I almost dropped my tray when I heard a stray thought from one of the regulars who was wondering what had happened to improve my attitude since he was last in. He, it just had to be a man, was convinced that I must have gotten laid.

Was it that obvious?

Then he started thinking about how I must have been cheating on Bill since everybody knew he was out of town which made me really angry. The next thing I knew he was wondering if there was any chance he could 'get some' from me too since I was obviously an easy lay if I was so ready to spread my legs when my boyfriend was away. He thought I was probably used to kink since I was dating a vampire.

What a pig! I stopped listening when he started imaging some of the things he thought I might have done. Things which he wanted me to do for him. I had to stop myself from hitting him with my tray. [

It got me thinking though: if this is what people thought about me now, how much worse would it get if they actually knew what I was doing? Maybe I should say 'when' they knew? I became painfully aware that at some point people would figure out what my new secret was. Then I'd have to face their judgement. It was not a pleasant possibility.

I plastered on my craziest smile.

"Will there be anything else?" I asked as I put his beer not too gently on the table.

He jumped. I startled him. Good.

"That'll be all, Sookie." He actually had the audacity to smile at me! Jerk!

"Okay then. Just holler if you need anything else," I said through gritted teeth.

He looked at me weirdly. He wasn't why I was so hostile all of sudden and what the reason for my mood swing was.

Now he was wondering if I was pregnant. If that was case he didn't want to have anything to do with me. In my mind I rolled my eyes at him. I just couldn't believe some people.

* * *

**Oh, Sookie, Sookie. There is nothing to be ashamed of. A lady should always have nice underwear. If she's not wearing any, she can at least hold it in a box in her hand! Good thing Eric thought of giving it to you!**


	8. Confrontation

**Big thanks for my reviewers and for my Beta, Breathesgirl!**

**Disclaimer: What is Snookie?**

* * *

_Previously: It got me thinking though: if this is what people thought about me now, how much worse would it get if they actually knew what I was doing? Maybe I should say 'when' they knew? I became painfully aware that at some point people would figure out what my new secret was. Then I'd have to face their judgement. It was not a pleasant possibility._

_._

At the end of my shift I knocked on Sam's office door.

Eric wanted me to work for him that Monday so I needed to make sure to tell Sam that I needed that evening free. It was Saturday already!

"Come in!" Sam called.

Sam smiled at me as I walked in. He was so sweet. I was nearly an hour late for work and he was smiling at me. I smiled back.

"What's up, cher," he asked, pushing aside his paperwork.

I had a flash of memory from the night before. When I looked at Sam's desk I couldn't stop a blush from creeping up my neck and a sudden heat from shooting through my veins.

My smile turned slightly crazy.

"Emm... I wanted to ask you to clear my Monday evening. I can work a lunch shift or take a double some other day instead," I finally managed.

I hoped he would not have a problem with that since Monday wasn't usually a busy day. Eric had promised that the next time I wasat Fangtasia we'd work on some kind of more regular, long term schedule so I'd know what to expect but for now, since I didn't have a regular schedule, I didn't see any reason to discuss it with Sam.

"Oh, sure, no problem. I think Arlene can take it. Give me a sec, I'll just write it down so I don't forget about it," he said and stood up to move around his desk so he could mark it on the chart that was hanging on the wall beside me. "So, which one would you prefer? Monday lunch shift, or a double on... Wednesday?"

"Wednesday," I answered.

I didn't want to get to Fangtasia already tired: For professional reasons, of course.

"Done. Big plans for Monday? Is Bill back?," he glanced at me curiously and a little unhappily.

Sam wasn't Bill's biggest fan. Neither was I at the moment.

"Nope," I said, a little hesitantly. I could deflect but it would come up sooner or later so I decided to simply tell the truth. "I'm working at Fangtasia."

Sam looked a little alarmed. "Fangtasia? Are you sure that's a good idea? Wait, they're not making you are they?"

"Relax, Sam. No one is forcing me into anything. Eric wants me to listen to some people he's considering hiring and he's giving me a fat check for doing this. It's a good business. I could use the extra money and, no offence, but I'm never going to get so much from waitressing in one night."

I refused to mention the fact that the last time I'd been reading Fangtasia employees the night had ended with me covered in blood after Eric staked his bartender.

There was no reason to get Sam worried for nothing, right? After all, Eric _did_ protect me even though it was only the second time he'd seen me. I stopped for a moment, struck by that thought. How come I'd never spared a minute to consider it? Maybe it wasn't so reckless to put my trust in Eric after all.

"I don't like it, but it's your choice," Sam sighed. "Just please, be careful."

"I will be. Thanks, Sam."

"You're welcome."

With that, he hugged me. He hugged me and then he tensed. He tensed... because he inhaled with his nose close to me.

"Sookie?" he asked stiffly. "Anything you'd like to tell me?"

Crap. I guess my hasty shower was too hasty. I hadn't washed my hair. I smelled like Eric. Maybe Sam wouldn't have picked up on it but since we were just discussing my going to Fangtasia he connected the dots.

"Yhm, no, Sam, not really. I'd rather not."

He pulled back to look at me, "God damn it, Sookie! What the hell are you doing? You reek of Northman!"

All of a sudden he didn't seem so sweet anymore and I didn't like his tone.

"What I do and who I see in my free time is not your concern, Sam Merlotte."

"I can't believe it! Have you lost your mind? What were you thinking? Is this why you're going to Fangtasia? Is this why you asked me to switch your shifts?"

Now I was beginning to get pissed. If he were yelling at me for being late for work, I could understand it, even though he could cut me some slack since it happened for the first time _ever_, but he had no right to yell at me for having a second job or for spending time with someone else.

"No! I told you, I'm going to _work_ on Monday. Don't you _dare_ insinuate anything differently." Sam dragged his hand through his hair in an exasperated gesture and started pacing.

"You are so naïve! You have no idea what you're getting yourself into!"

"Oh, really? And you think you do? Why is that? Because you smelled Eric on me? Now you think you know everything? Yes, I saw Eric last night, so what?"

Sam laughed mirthlessly, "Oh, Sookie, for me to be able to smell him you must have done much more than _see_ him."

"That is none of your business!"

"What about Bill?," he asked.

My glare turned frosty, "I don't give a shit about what Bill thinks," I said harshly.

He must have realised something was really wrong because at least he backed off from the topic of Bill. Unfortunately he wasn't ready to give up on the topic of vampires altogether.

"Eric is using you. I'm not sure if he hired you so he can fuck you, or the other way around, but frankly, I don't know which worse."

He was flipping his lid and he didn't even know about the deal I'd made with Eric.

"Dial it down, Sam," I hissed. He was way too loud and anybody would be able to hear him. "and don't talk nasty to me! You have no right to judge me and I know what I'm doing."

I barely stopped myself from stomping my foot.

"Is that so? Do you have any idea how dangerous and manipulative Eric is?"

"Well, that's just funny!I am well aware that Eric is no saint but you know what? For all that talking about how awful Eric is, somehow, it looks like he's one of the few guys that have never tried to hide who and what they are from me!"

_Take that, Dean._

We stared at each other silently for a full minute before I turned on my heel and walked out.

* * *

**I promise there will be Eric in next chapter! I think it was necessary for Sookie to get defensive and face the problem instead of avoiding it - she needed to voice the fact that it's not ok for others to judge her for something that's not their business, so she would get her confidence back.**


	9. Business and pleasure

**Don't worry, I didn't forget about you! I have a long chapter this time! Thank you for all your support for this story – it makes me very happy that it's so popular! Also, thanks for my Beta, Breathesgirl, for being so patient ;)**

**Disclaimer: No, you can't have a vampire, silly. It's a huge responsibility. I know they are pretty, but it's not just fun, you have to take care them and they live very long! You can't give one away when you get bored of it! (Yes, I'm talking to you, Ms Harris!)**

* * *

I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths.

_You can do this_.

I was here on business, right? This had nothing to do with the other night. There would be no awkwardness.

I was a professional.

I wasn't going to turn into a hot mess of quivering heat while doing my job just because I was going to see Eric for the first time since he'd slipped out of my bedroom that night. We didn't have to talk about it right now. We probably shouldn't: I mean, after all, I imagine _that _would be unprofessional? I had a task to complete. I wasn't here to chat about my sex life!

Easy-peasy.

_Right!_

Fangtasia was closed to customers on Mondays so I left my car in the employee parking lot, marched myself to the staff entrance and tried to look confident as Pam opened the door,

"Sookie," she said as she smiled at me, "I think you're becoming my favourite breather."

"Uh, thanks, Pam," I said quietly as my skin flushed slightly.

I was a little surprised that she was smiling at me but I smiled back at her just the same.

"Can you believe it? Eric has been in such a good mood! He didn't even bother to check how much I spent when I borrowed his credit card!"

Oh my.

"Ehm... You're welcome?"

Pam chuckled asas she escorted me to Eric's office,

"Your girlfriend," she announced as she swung the door open.

"We're not dating," Eric and I said at the same time.

Pam snickered as she mock apologized and, because this was Pam, she added on her way out:

"Happy fucking."

I blushed furiously as Eric smirked and leered at me. I think the only reason she escorted me to the office was so she could tease us.

"Come, I have something for you," Eric said as soon as the door closed behind Pam and he pulled me by the hand to his desk.

Before I realised what was happening he was sitting in his chair with me on his lap.

So much for keeping a professional distance.

"Here," he said, shuffling some papers on his desk where there was a new laptop sitting. Had we broken the old one when we...?

"I think it would be better if we have some kind of official document as opposed to hiring you under the table," he said, presenting me with some printed pages. "This is your contract: Look it over and let me know if you have any questions. You can take it home and read it in peace if you don't want to do it now."

"Okay," I said and took it from him.

I was a little overwhelmed. I hadn't been expecting something like this but I guess it made sense. He was so accommodating about it that I didn't see a reason to protest, at least before I read it. I glanced quickly at the papers: Of course, they didn't mention my telepathy, thankfully. I was a... consultant? Well, it wasn't a lie.

I decided to take his suggestion and read it later, so I put it in my purse.

"What do you need me to do tonight?" I asked.

"I need you to listen while I interview candidates for the position of my new day-person."

"A day-person?" I asked.

He nuzzled my neck from behind like it was a perfectly normal thing to do. I had to fight the urge to focus on this feeling instead on what he was telling me.

"Yes. A day-person is someone who can conduct business for me and take care of any tasks that I need to be performed during the day. I did a background check on everyone and pre-selected these but I have to be sure there are no slip-ups. Since I am dead for the day I'm sure you can understand that choosing this kind of employee wisely is an important security measure. The one who gets the job will be working very closely with me. I can't risk my safety with just anyone so by giving them information about me I need to know if they are going to betray me: I need someone loyal and efficient."

I turned my head to look at Eric. This was serious. I realised I needed to be very thorough with my assessment since I was taking on a great responsibility by agreeing to help him choose the right candidate.

"What happened to your last day-man?" I asked suddenly. "Or did you not have one before?"

If I were a betting woman I would bet he had one but something had happened to them.

"Relax. Nothing happened to him," said the guy who wanted to hire a telepath. "He has some health issues so wants to quit and take it easy. I agreed since it his declining health could mean his job could mean his job wouldn't be done on a consistent basis. Unfortunately this means I now I need to find someone new, quickly."

Would I have won or lost that bet?

Eric wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me back against his chest. Was snuggling my new benefit as well?

"And you're just letting him walk away with all that knowledge about you?" I was sceptical, sue me.

"I'll glamour him. This was the deal from the beginning."

Well, better glamoured than dead, I suppose.

"Alrighty then. What do you need me to find out, besides the obvious not-trying-to-kill-you-in-your-sleep thing?"

"Try to determine if they are really what they advertise or if they are just trying to put up a façade. Also, see if they are easily swayed, either by money, or threats."

"How to we do this?" I asked, suddenly very aware that the tip of his nose was now rubbing lightly against the back of my ear.

"I'll do most of the talking, you listen and take notes. If you feel there is anything that you should investigate further ask your own questions. Once we're done and they are gone you'll tell me what you found out and then I will make my decision."

"Sounds good," I nodded even though it was getting increasingly more difficult to keep my focus when Eric's other arm was snaking around my waist.

Just then there was a knock on the door: I quickly scrambled from Eric's lap. Thankfully, it was only Pam and she was smirking.

"The applicants have arrived," she said. "Shall I let them in?"

She had perfect timing... or a bad habit of eavesdropping. I parked myself on the second chair, which I hadn't even noticed before and had probably been brought in there specifically for me. I composed myself as Eric nodded. Pam disappeared for a minute and returned with the first candidate: She didn't stay for the interview.

Eric handed me a few folders which turned outto be application papers, probably so I would have more information to work with. I scanned the first one quickly. There were five candidates, three women and two men; all were very well educated. I noticed that Eric asked them to provide some personal information. I found it curious that none of them was married or had kids. Was it a coincident, or did Eric select them this way ?

It took over two hours to complete the interviews which made me glad I hadn't taken the lunch shift at Merlotte's. I stretched after the last one left and Eric shot me an appreciative glance when I arched my back.

Fortunately, there weren't any undercover Fellowship of the Sun members among the candidates which meantnone of them was a covert vampire hater.

"What did you find out?" Eric asked.

"Well, I'm sure you can tell for yourself that you can rule out Bethany. She's a very nice person and I liked her, but despite the many courses she took and her great resumé her real competencies are definitely lower than the rest of the group," I stated and Eric nodded in agreement. It was obvious that Bethany was good at theory but when she was asked how she would resolve a specific problem she'd had no clue where to start.

"Carol and Philip are weres," I said, stating the obvious, at least to me, since I was sure he already knew what they were. I don't know why it surprised me, but it did. Once again, he only nodded. My curiosity got the better of me so I asked, "What kind of weres?"

"Carol is a were-bear and Philip is a were-falcon."

"Oh, wow." I was impressed. "Their being weres won't be a problem? I mean, it's an advantage and they are probably stronger, but aren't vampires and weres always a little bit... wary of each other?"

"You tell me. Do you think either of them could be loyal to me?"

I thought for a minute.

"Neither of them seemed to feel openly hostile towards you. Carol thought good money is good money; no matter who signs the cheque. She doesn't care what you are as long as you pay her."

"I would be very cautious in hiring her then. She sounds like someone who could be easily bribed. Was it just a fleeting thought or did she spend a lot of time thinking about money?"

"Em, quite a lot, yes."

"What about Philip?"

"Well..." I hesitated, not sure how to approach the subject. "He's gay. So, yeah, he likes you."

It probably isn't easy to be gay and a were since weres are very breeding-orientated. I imagine not being interested in participating in this kind of activity would quickly make you an outcast.

"This could get out of hand," Eric mused, clearly talking more to himself than to me, "If he's the obsessive type. How interested was he? Did he come here to get the job or was it because he hoped for more than just a job?"

"He was definitely _interested_, Eric," I said.

I had gotten some mental images which I didn't particularly care for and I had been tempted to raise my shields. Unfortunately I couldn't if I wanted to do my job well.

"There is no hiding the fact that he's attracted to you but I'd say that he came here because of the job and just appreciated the view."

He had appreciated it _a lot_: Not that I could really blame him but it did make me feel a little funny for some reason. That was just it though; he wasn't planning on stealing Eric's underwear or something crazy like that.

All in all I had nothing against Philip and I thought that in time I could come to like him if he would stop imagining Eric naked, or worse, _himself _naked with Eric. It was... weird.

"What about his pack?" I asked. "Is he not going to be more loyal to them than to you?"

"Falcons don't have packs, they travel in casts but there are so few were-falcons that there aren't enough to form one: I believe Philip is the only one in the area. He moved from another state for college. What about Catherine?"

Catherine was the perfect candidate on paper: She was smart, eloquent, and well-mannered. She could be forceful if she needed things to get done and she was beautiful. There was, however, this tiny detail: she hated me and she definitely wanted Eric for herself. This is why I was extremely pleased with myself, and relieved that I wouldn't have to advise Eric to hire her, when I discovered that she had a past with drug addictions and was now struggling with gambling issues. I told all of this to Eric.

"Bobby?"

"He's a jerk but I guess he could do well enough. I mean, he's not overly bright but he admires you and I think he would be loyal. I don't think he's capable of being polite, even if someone held a gun to his head, but he's hard working and will do whatever you want him to do."

Eric smirked at my comment. It was the truth though: Bobby was rude. Maybe not toward Eric, but he was towards me and I had a feeling it was his normal state. I mean, I get it, he didn't think much of me but he should have at least tried to hide it at the interview. He seemed to be surprised that he was expected to answer my questions and I'm sure Eric noticed it too. I couldn't decide if his nasty mental comments weren't worse than listening to Philip gushing over Eric.

Eric became thoughtful.

"It looks like it would be Bobby, Philip... or Carol," he said hesitantly, although even I could tell he wasn't sold on her.

"You didn't like her," I observed.

He shook his head, "I don't trust her."

"Bobby or Philip, then."

"What do you think?" I did a double take. Was he asking my _opinion?_

"Well... Bobby is better organised, but Philip seems to be better at finding creative solutions," I offered.

Eric looked at me curiously.

"You like Philip better," he said, as if he thought it was amusing. "You'd rather have me hiring the man lusting after me than someone who is rude."

"You're not going to sleep with him, are you?"

"Of course not, he's not attractive."

_That _was his reason?

"Aren't you forgetting about something?"

He gave me the look that told me he knew exactly what I was hinting at.

"No, I'm not. Don't worry, he's not tempting enough to make me reconsider this part of the deal."

He flashed me a grin which made me want to roll my eyes at him, but I managed to stop myself.

"Do you even swing that way?" it was my turn to be curious.

He shrugged.

"There are not many things I haven't done in a thousand years. Vampires are generally more flexible where sex is concerned but given the choice I've always preferred women ," he said.

Given a choice? It was a funny turn of phrase. I couldn't imagine Eric not having a choice, especially in that matter. Had he been living in some exclusively male community, with no women close by, or something?

"Do you want a drink?" he asked, effectively changing the subject, and stood up.

I followed his lead. It looked like the business part of the evening was officially over.

"No thanks, I have to drive back, remember? Or was it your plan to get me not fit to drive again and then invite yourself back into my house after getting me there?"

"Hmmm, it wasn't, but it doesn't sound like a half bad plan," he said, stalking towards me. "I might consider it. I'll be _happy _to help you."

I laughed, hard, "Eric, that might be the worst pick-up line I've ever heard."

"Oh, I'll pick you up," and he did, without warning.

I squealed when he lifted me. My arms and legs wrapped themselves around him and suddenly the temperature in the room rose dramatically.

I was wearing a dark grey fitted dress which didn't show much cleavage. I had come here for a business meeting after all. It did accentuate my waistline nicely though. The problem was that the dress had a pencil skirt, which meant that when I wrapped my legs around Eric's back it rolled up to somewhere over my hips.

I was also wearing the red lingerie which Eric had given me. Don't ask me why.

He held me securely with one arm while his other hand caressed my bare thigh.

I looked up into his eyes just before he put his mouth to work, effectively making me forget whatever I was about to say. His free hand moved higher and I shifted slightly, my position making it very hard not to notice the effect all of this had on him. My memories of the other night flooded me and I pushed my breasts further into Eric's chest.

I broke for air and Eric walked us over to the couch, with me still in his arms. He laid me down gently, and hovered over me. I rolled my hips seeking more friction and he sucked on my bottom lip as I dragged my fingers through his hair.

Somehow, even though, in theory, I couldn't imagine for it not to be embarrassing and, well, dirty, whenever it was really happening, all of those anxieties evaporated. It just felt good – so good, that there was no room left for awkwardness.

I opened my eyes, confused, when Eric broke the kiss and leaned back.

"I have wanted to do this since you walked through this door tonight," he said and placed one of my legs over his shoulder.

"What are you...?" I started to say as he rubbed his cheek against my leg.

When he turned his head and started kissing my skin I suddenly knew exactly what he was doing. I took a shaky breath: It had been a long time since someone had done this to me. I moaned when he nibbled at the inside of my knee.

"Like this?" Eric asked quietly, keeping his eyes on me.

His tongue darted hitting a ticklish spot.

"Eric," I said breathlessly.

"Mmmm?"

"Keep going."

He smiled like the predator he is and his eyes seemed to be shining on their own.

He ran his nose along the soft skin at the inside of my thigh taking in my scent. His left hand rested on my other leg, just below my hip, and started drawing light circles with his thumb on the sensitive skin there.

"I could eat you whole," he said hoarsely and he looked like he could do just that.

"You could try," I challenged.

He growled and dragged his blunt teeth against my thigh. I sucked in a breath noisily as his hand snaked under me and squeezed my flesh lightly. I could feel a familiar throbbing building low in my belly as he kissed and licked and sucked, moving slowly all the way from my knee to my groin. He flashed fang when he saw my red panties.

"I knew it would look good on you," he said.

"Eric," I whimpered and he had to hold my hips to keep me in place.

"Patience, lover."

He sucked on a vein without breaking the skin. I had a feeling he was enjoying this nearly as much as I was, maybe even more. He had been toying with the lace edge of my panties for far too long so I tugged on his hair to urge him to get a move on. He chuckled, sending pleasurable vibrations through my nerve-endings, but he obliged. I made a series of unladylike noises when he did, but then he finally moved my underwear to the side and he... well, he kissed me. I think that's the best way to describe it. I arched my back involuntarily and cried out. My only thought was: where the hell has he been my whole life?

* * *

**Soo... I know I kind of distracted you with the end of this chapter, but do you have your favorite candidate?**


	10. Long day

**Thank you for all your wonderful reviews! I'm sorry I didn't reply to all of them, I was busy this week!**

**Beta'd by Breathesgirl (vawe ;) ! )**

**Disclaimer: If your looking for my money, you'll probably find it in the owner's pocket.**

* * *

I knocked apprehensively on Sam's office door: I really needed to talk to him but I wasn't looking forward to it in the least since it would just lead to another argument.

We'd been avoiding talking to each other for the last few days, since I'd walked out on him: Unfortunately, I couldn't put it off any longer.

I hadn't called Eric back just yet but I had read the very generous contract he had given me: It almost looked too good to be true.

I would have been a fool not to take this opportunity which was why I needed to talk to Sam. I didn't want to work seven days a week and that's what I would have been doing if I kept all my hours at Merlotte's.

With the new income I would be able to afford to give up some of my shifts so I decided that I needed at least one free day a week. Since I was going to work one night a week for Eric I needed Sam to change my schedule so I would only be working five days, tops, at the bar. I really hoped he wouldn't have a problem with that.

"Come in," Sam called.

He looked like a deer caught in the headlights when he saw me.

"Hi, Sam," I said in my best business voice. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

It took a minute for him to recover his composure, "Of course, Please, have a seat," He said as he pushed the papers around on his desk nervously. I had gone in earlier than I needed to so I could talk to him in peace.

I dropped my purse into the drawer before taking the proffered chair as Sam cleared his throat, "Sookie listen, about what I said the other day," he started, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

_Good_! Maybe he'd think twice before commenting on my upcoming declaration about working for Eric.

"I'm worried about you and I think you're making a mistake but that was out of line," he continued.

"Thanks, Sam. I appreciate your apology, but we'll just have to agree to disagree about it."

He nodded and I could tell he was relieved to be off the hook. Unfortunately for him there were still things we needed to discuss which were directly related to the subject we were disagreeing about.

"Are we good?" He asked.

"Yeah, we're good.

Listen, I came in early to talk about work."

"Oh? Is there a problem?"

"No, not really a problem but I wanted to tell you that I've decided to give up some of my hours."

He was working hard at biting his tongue because he didn't want to start another argument with me but his face was very expressive, it told me everything he wasn't saying. Of course he guessed what, or rather who, was behind my sudden change of mind.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes.," I said firmly. I wasn't in the mood to beat around the bush, "With the additional money I'll make working for the vamps there is no need for me to work non-stop at the bar and I want some time for myself."

"You're not quitting though, right?"

I smiled for the first time since walking into his office, "No, I'm only asking you to cut my hours. You're not firing me, right?" I shot back.

"Of course not, you'll have a job here for as long as you want it."

Phew. That went better than I thought it would.

"Thanks, Sam. You're the best," I said, sounding happier than I had when I came in.

We spent another few minutes talking and figuring out the details of my new schedule: By the time we were done it was getting late and I needed to start preparing for my shift.

I stood up and Sam looked at me hesitantly: it was clear there was still something on his mind.

"So...," he started uncertainly, "Are you Eric's now?"

God, this wasn't going to be easy. I didn't want to lie but I sure didn't know how to tell him gently. I really hoped he would be able to get over this. I was a grown woman who was capable of making my own decisions.

"We're casual," I said, trying to be diplomatic.

I heard Sam cursing under his breath. I guess he could read between the lines?

"Dammit, Sookie."

"Don't 'Dammitsookie' me, Sam"

"You're better than this!" He all but yelled.

I blanched: I don't think he realized how insulting he sounded just then. He was thinking that I deserved to have a proper boyfriend and that he would happily take the position. He was also thinking very hard about taking over Eric's position in my life. Subtle his thoughts were not.

"This is what I need right now," I told him.

He inhaled deeply. "I just don't want to see you get hurt," he said stiffly.

Sam had more to say on the subject but didn't want to anger me any further: Secretly he hoped that Eric would get bored quickly and leave me alone. I'm not going to pretend that didn't sting a bit because it did.

"You'll have to trust me on this one," I replied and went back to preparing for work.

I wasn't feeling nearly as unsure and panicky as I had that first day after making the deal with Eric: I was aware that most of it had to do with the way things went last time at Fangtasia. The way Eric acted around me outside the bedroom didn't change much other than he was more touchy-feely which he always had been, with me, to some degree. Despite his distracting presence I had done my job without any problems. Now I knew that the first night had been no fluke: Eric had been right, we could have _this_ any time.

I tied my apron on and got busy taking orders. Unfortunately it looked like it just wasn't my day. Not only was my section unusually crowded but there was a group of young men passing through town.

It only took one glance for me to recognize the type: dumb, loud and barely old enough to buy alcohol. They knew they wouldn't be staying so they didn't care what anyone thought about them. They were from one of the bigger cities and didn't think much of the locals; they didn't try to hide their dislike, either. Of course it made everyone else in the bar feel on edge and I could feel the air in the bar thickening with the potential for a fight.

Great! Just to make my day even better they didn't leave much of a tip!

I worked for hours without a single moment to catch my breath. My legs were tired, my arms were hurting from carrying heavy trays loaded with mugs and pitchers and I wasn't sure how many more wolf-whistles and suggestive comments, since I refuse to call wolf calls flirting, I could take before I would explode.

I signaled to Sam that I was going to take my break after I delivered the orders I'd already taken.

I loaded my tray and stopped at the table occupied by Maxine Fortenberry, the biggest gossip in the district. "Thank you, dear," she said as I put her plate on the table. "How are you doing? It must be hard on you, taking care of everything all alone."

Mrs Fortenberry had also been one of my gran's friends so I smiled politely, knowing that at least there was a little bit of genuine concern mixed with her usual nosiness.

"I'm doing just fine, thank you. You?"

This is when she dropped the bomb.

"I'm good. When is Bill coming back from Seattle?" She asked innocently.

"He's not," I answered without thinking.

"He's not?" she asked loudly. "Why? What happened?"

"He can't come back from Seattle," I said coldly "because he's not even _there_."

Of course, that was the exact moment all conversation ceased, in one of these rare breaks in the almost constant chatter, which is the atmosphere in any bar, so my words rang out perfectly clear in the sudden silence, bringing everyone's attention to me.

"Where is he, then?" She asked, bewildered.

It was like looking at the snowball rolling downhill: You know it's going to move faster and faster and get bigger and bigger but there's nothing you can do to stop it.

I couldn't stop myself.

"In Jackson," I said truthfully even though I knew I shouldn't.

"Jackson? What's in Jackson? What's he doing there?"

I felt my crazy Sookie smile stretching my lips and many curious eyes on me. "It's not what but who, and I believe the answer to both your questions is the same."

"What do you mean, Sookie? _What_ answer?"

"Lorena."

I heard some excited murmurs behind me and Maxine opened her mouth to ask another question but before she could say anything more I picked up my tray, turned on my heel, and left the floor. I was _so_ ready for my break.

The noise level increased the second I left but I didn't look back: Instead I stepped outside since I needed the fresh air. It was the first time I'd had to publicly talk about Bill since he left me.

The worst thing was: I couldn't just wait it out until the news sunk in and the excitement dissipated since my shift wasn't over yet. I knew I'd have to go back inside and face all those people. I would feel it as they watched me, like an animal at the zoo, and I would hear their thoughts.

That was Bill's lucky night though, even if it wasn't mine. If he had been there I might have found a chopstick left over from one of our staff parties and used it to stake him!

* * *

**Poor Sookie... I wonder, who's going to cheer her up?**


	11. I-scream

**Hello my dear readers! True Blood is back, we'll see if it's a good thing...  
Does anybody feel like they need to cool off? Sookie tried - just read where it got her.  
**

**Wonderfully beta'd by Breathesgirl.**

**Disclaimer: I'm a user and I'm not ashamed of it.**

* * *

Previously:

_The noise level increased the second I left but I didn't look back: Instead I stepped outside since I needed the fresh air. It was the first time I'd had to publicly talk about Bill since he left me._

_The worst thing was: I couldn't just wait it out until the news sunk in and the excitement dissipated since my shift wasn't over yet. I knew I'd have to go back inside and face all those people. I would feel it as they watched me, like an animal at the zoo, and I would hear their thoughts._

I ended up swinging by a gas station and buying my favourite ice cream on my way back home from work. Yes, I was ready to indulge my weakness and throw a pity-party for one.

What depressed me even more was that I realised I could not think of even one friend that I could, or would, like to talk to in order to share my burden. I suppose that I could talk to Tara, but even she wasn't close enough with me lately for me to consider stopping by her place in the middle of the night unannounced.

How pathetic was that?

I made myself comfortable on the sofa with a spoon and the ice cream container and flipped on the TV looking for some chick flick to watch. I thought that maybe I would indulge myself in a bubble bath later.

I finally settled on some silly comedy and managed to concentrate on it enough to quiet my own mind and calm down. Right then I was glad that my home was so secluded: I could find some peace here and forget about the rest of the world. No one would distur...

"You should lock your doors," the voice said from behind me.

I jumped and shrieked: The spoon fell from my hand and made a loud clattering sound when it hit the floor.

"Eric!" I screamed, hitting him with the throw pillow which I then hugged to my chest. My heart was pounding wildly, a sound that I am sure he enjoyed hearing way too much. "You scared me half to death! Why didn't you knock?"

He grinned at me, "Now, where would be the fun in that?", he asked with a smirk.**  
**

I was still too startled to appreciate his antics so instead I asked , "What are you doing here?"

"Making you scream," he said lecherously**.**

_DUH! Like I couldn't figure THAT one out on my own!_

I was embarrassed that he'd scared me so much that I really _had _screamed so I was trying to cover it with irritation, "Oh, realy? Seriously, what's your excuse, Funny Man?"

"Did you read the contract?" he asked, ignoring my jab along with my question, or maybe that was his way of answering, I wasn't sure. He didn't apologize either: Typical.

"You could have just picked up a phone and called!" I wasn't ready to give up just yet.

Eric's eyes twinkled with mischief, "Kinky," he purred suggestively.

I felt my ears burning but I was starting to loosen up, "You're incorrigible," I snorted.

"You like me this way," he said smugly, resting his elbows on the back of the sofa.

I pursed my lips because, as much as I wasn't going to say it out loud, he wasn't completely wrong there.

"So, did you read it?" he asked again.

"As a matter of fact, I did," I answered.

"Did you sign it yet?"

"No, I didn't." I hesitated, "Listen Eric, we're talking about a lot of money here. Can you promise me that this is a fair offer?"

"You think I'm trying to use you? I suppose we can bargain if you're not satisfied with this proposal," he looked... I don't know, sad?

I laughed, "Gosh, no! I don't think you're offering me _too little_. If anything, I wasn't sure if you didn't pull the number out of thin air because of the... other part of our deal," I added a little sheepishly. "Would you really consider paying me _more_?"

He was staring at me as if he was trying to figure me out and shook his head, "You have no idea, do you?" he asked quietly.

I was feeling a little confused, "What do you mean?"

"You have no idea how valuable you are."

I didn't know what to say, "Does that mean you _are _trying to pay me less than you should?" I teased, making sure he knew I wasn't serious.

Eric smiled, "I think the offer is fair," he replied. "You would probably get more if you worked for someone with the a higher position in our power structure but you have to admit that working for me has its perks," he replied suggestively.

"And by perks you mean..."

"Do you even have to ask?" Eric smirked and waggled his eyebrows, but then he turned serious, "I'd like to think I'm a safer option for you since I'm local and I have no intention of taking over your life. I can call and ask you to come to Shreveport when I need you. I don't think that putting you in the spotlight would be a good idea, either. Of course, word travels and there will be those who would find out about you, and possibly try to seek you out, but I'm not going to advertise your gift and I'm powerful enough that any vampire would think twice before trying to take you from me."

"What would you do if someone did come after me?" I asked.

I knew he had already told me as much when he'd first proposed our deal but I needed to hear him say it, "You're mine now," Eric said firmly, "and I protect me and mine."**  
**

I tried to ignore the fact that he didn't sound as if the "mine" thing was just for appearances but I couldn't stop the shiver it sent down my spine either.

"Why did you offer me so much money then?" I asked, genuinely curious. "You know I wouldn't know the going rates for a 'consultant' of my calibre so it wouldn't have mattered if you had offered me half the rate you're suggesting, right?"

He smiled again, "I wouldn't want you to feel cheated and quit when someone else makes you a better offer. I've learned over the years that underpaying my employees is never a good idea."

Eric was many things but stupid wasn't one of them. I shook my head, "I still don't believe that you came here tonight, all the way from Shreveport, just because you wanted to ask me if I signed the contract. You could have done that over the phone."

His smile morphed into a grin and he leaned over to close the distance between us, "You didn't really think that I would wait a whole week to see you again, did you?" His voice dropped seductively and my heart sped up. Damn it!

I had no doubt that the kind of _seeing me _he was talking about was the same kind that would allow Sam to detect it with his stronger shifter senses and involved me and Eric, and some horizontal (_or_ vertical) surface. What it _didn't_ involve, were clothes.

"So you decided that you could just intrude on my evening without asking me beforehand?" I huffed without any real irritation, arguing just for the sake of the banter.

Eric glanced at the TV screen where the heroine was weeping in the arms of her best friend and then looked quizzically at me and my ice cream box: I hurriedly shut off the TV.

"What _were _you doing?" he asked inquisitively.

I quickly replied, "Relaxing."

No reason to let Eric know that I had been feeling sorry for myself.

He brightened, "I can help you relax," he offered happily.

I chuckled, "I had a feeling you'd say something like that."

"I'm sure I could do a better job of relaxing you than a crappy movie and cold food."

His sarcasm, while noted, was not appreciated.

"This is _ice cream_, Eric," I corrected him, amused, "It's yummy. There is nothing like ice cream and watching mindless movies to lift a girl's spirits when she's upset."

I bit my tongue. Fudge. Me and my big mouth! Could I not have just stayed quiet? The look Eric gave me said he hadn't missed my slip up: he heard what I'd just revealed to him about my recent mood. Thankfully he decided to take a different approach other than questioning me about it.

He took me by surprise when he dipped his finger in my ice cream and raised it to his eye level, "You're telling me that _this _is better than me?" he asked skeptically.

I held my breath and stared at him with wide eyes. Bill used to get hysterical whenever I would try to eat, or God forbid cook, something around him. He had claimed that food was disgusting to him and had been making me brush my teeth after dinner or before I kissed him. I even remembered that once, when I walked into his living room with a lollipop in my mouth, he had turned green. You don't have to be a telepath to know what most guys tend to think about when they see a girl sucking on a lollipop. He certainly would not have willingly touched any kind of human food, even ice cream.

I don't know if it had something to do with Eric's age or not but he didn't seem to be affected that way. Sure, he stared at his ice-cream covered finger as if he were contemplating an alien life form, and by the look on his face it was obvious that he didn't consider the sticky substance something edible, but he didn't seem bothered in the slightest. I imagine he wouldn't have acted any differently if it had been paint on the tip of his finger.

Eric looked back at me and raised his eyebrow in challenge, "Really, Sookie?" he said putting the finger in front of my face, "I certainly _look _better," he dead-panned.

I snorted, but he continued: "I also _smell _better." God help me, he smelled the ice cream. "Surely you'll agree, that I _feel _better.

...ooo-kaay.

"...What's more important, I would bet that I even _taste _better."

_I'm not going to drool. I'm not going to drool._His meaning was unmistakable and the emphasis he put on taste sent my lady bits into overdrive.

I caught his hand to stop him from waving it right in front of my eyes, "Okay, that's enough," I laughed.

I wasn't thinking: I wasn't even aware of what I was doing when I put his finger in my mouth and pretended I was going to bite it off. I realised what I had done only when I felt Eric freeze. I looked up slowly, still with my lips wrapped around his finger.

His eyes were burning holes into mine and he was standing there completely immobile. I sucked the ice cream off and released his now clean finger with a soft pop. We stared at each other for a minute in deafening silence, with me still holding his wrist, before Eric slowly moved his hand and, without breaking eye contact, dipped his finger again and presented it to me.

* * *

**Don't kill me! Why not? Because th_e _next chapter actually _does_ start with the continuation of this scene! If you kill me now, you'll never read it...  
**


	12. Cold treatment

**It's a bad joke, but I can't help myself, so I'm going to write it anyway: I'm back with a bang!**

**Yes, yes, this chapter includes lemon, so I need you to tell me if you like it or if you think I suck at writing smut and should just go back to teasing you.**

**Please, remember, this story is rated M.**

**NSFW.**

**Breathesgirl is my awesome Beta.**

**Disclaimer: Slavery is illegal. I don't own them.**

* * *

Previously:_ I wasn't thinking: I wasn't even aware of what I was doing when I put his finger in my mouth and pretended I was going to bite it off. I realised what I had done only when I felt Eric freeze. I looked up slowly, still with my lips wrapped around his finger._

_His eyes were burning holes into mine and he was standing there completely immobile. I sucked the ice cream off and released his now clean finger with a soft pop. We stared at each other for a minute in deafening silence, with me still holding his wrist, before Eric slowly moved his hand and, without breaking eye contact, dipped his finger again and presented it to me._

I sucked his finger into my mouth obediently and swirled my tongue around it. Eric's eyelids fluttered momentarily and he shifted his weight. His other hand moved to my face to caress my cheek as I licked the drop of melted ice-cream that was trapped between his fingers.

"Want more?" he asked hoarsely when there was no trace of ice-cream left on his skin.

I nodded and stood up: We could have just fallen onto the sofa, but I wanted the bed.

I stepped around the couch and Eric used the time to lose his shirt, exposing his sculpted torso. Now _that _was something I could see myself wanting to lick. It seemed almost unfair how good he looked without even trying. I wasn't about to complain, though: After all, I was the one reaping the benefits.

I was brought out of my musing when Eric reached for me and pulled me in for a kiss: I relaxed into his embrace.

He surprised me when he took the ice-cream container from me. Instead of putting it aside he raised it and looked at me expectantly. I guess he liked the game. I hesitated only for a second before dipping my own finger in and experimentally making a single ice-cream smear across Eric's chest. This was going to be fun.

I put my hands on his ribs and leaned in to lap at his skin at a leisurely pace.

"I was wrong," Eric's voice reached me in my lustful haze.

He needed to take a breath in order to talk, causing his chest to rise and fall mesmerising me.

"Hmmm?" I purred, fully focused on my task. There were so many muscles to trace...

"I can see now that there _is _some allure to the ice-cream."

I chuckled before licking my lips, "You know, I'm torn," I said as I looked up at him, "I've always been taught not to play with my food."

"Why not?" Eric asked with a straight face, "I always do."

"_Eric!_" I scolded him laughing hard, "Hush!"

"It's true!"

He didn't have an ounce of shame.

"Let's go," I said taking a step backwards.

"Where to?" he asked, but he took a matching step forward.

"Bedroom."

I realised that the sweats I'd changed into after work didn't look too sexy, so I decided that the easiest way to fix it was to strip. I shrugged off my old T-shirt first Icertainly had Eric's attention then because I wasn't wearing a bra. I laughed and turned around before running upstairs to my bedroom, leaving atrail of clothes for Eric to follow instead of bread crumbs. He could have caught me in a blink, but he let me get away for the moment. I jumped on the bed and turned to face the door just in time to see Eric stepping in. He stopped at the threshold to kick off his shoes and socks then joined me on the bed and placed the ice-cream container between us.

"Do your worst," he said gleefully.

I grinned, who would have guessed Eric had it in him? I knelt on the mattress and turned to him.

At this point the only article of clothing I had left on me were my panties and I congratulated myself on wearing nice underwear sinceit looked like I should always be prepared when Eric was nearby. Right then he looked very pleased with the sight I presented him with.

I repeated the process of applying the ice-cream on him, this time on his neck, causing him to shiver.

"Is it alright?" I whispered worriedly as I kissed theskin around where the ice cream was, "Is the coldness unpleasant?"

"It's okay," he reassured me. "Our bodies are naturally cooler than humans': The temperature doesn't bother us the same way. It's the contrast between the chill and your warmth that gets to me, but don't stop, I like it."

With his consent I proceeded to lick the splash away before reaching for another portion. There were still some places I wouldn't dare put the cold substance though, which was a shame since these were very promising places. Maybe some other time we could come up with something different than ice-cream?

Of course I could always lick Eric without covering himin anything at all.

Eric's muscles flexed as his hand twined itself in my hair. This...game was messy but so very worth it!

At some point he smeared some of the ice-cream himself and I took it as a hint that he wanted my mouth on the places he put it. He grunted his approval when I swirled my tongue around his nipple and sucked harder: I liked how responsive he was.

"Use your teeth," he suggested.

"Huh?"

"Bite a little."

Of course. Vampire. I added some scratching and gentle bites to what I was doing causing Eric to sigh happily.

The ice-cream tasted good but so did Eric's skin. One of the many perks of having a vampire as your bedmate was that they tended to be cleaner than human men, not only because they don't sweat, but also because, for some mysterious reason, vampires loveto bathe. I suspect it has something to do with their enhanced sense of smell. I've seen Eric bloody, but never greasy.

Eric lay back slowly, making it easier for me to work with the melting ice-cream. I particularly enjoyed playing with his bellybutton since I was enjoying watching as he arched his back with the sensations I was giving him.

I moved my hand lower without looking, aiming for the button of his jeans, only to discover that it and the zipper was already undone.

I slid my hand under the fabric and wrapped it around what I found inside. Eric's reaction was immediate as he raised his hips and pushed his pants and boxers down at the same time. After he freed himself from his clothes he pulled me up with one swift motion and kissed me for all he was worth, which was _a lot_.

"Hey," I pouted when he rolled us and put the ice-cream on the floor and out of my reach. "I didn't get the chance to find out if you really taste better than ice-cream. Don't you want me to?"

"Oh, I do," he assured me hotly, "but not right now. You've touched me enough, I need to touch you too."

To make his point he made quick work of my panties. It was really hard to argue with horny Eric when he was doing everything in his power to make me forget what I was legs tangled and I was beginning to feel light-headed from the frantic kissing. When I broke for air he moved his mouth lower, hitting all my soft spots one after another: He'd certainly been paying attention the few times we'd been together before.

"These," he said nuzzling my chest, "are beautiful."

I guess he really liked my breasts. He looked like he was lost in his own world when he was playing with them and I liked it very much but I was getting impatient.

"Eric," I called to him to bring him out of his trance as I rubbed my lower half against him.

He looked up at me, his pupils dilated, and then he bit: I cried out in shock. There wasn't really any pain even thoughit did stinga little. When he started to suck the pleasure prevailed. The sensation of him taking my blood into him was very arousing and by the time he was done drinking I was a gasping, trembling mess.

He sealed the bite and kissed the faint puncture marks left behind. Now I really needed him. I pulled at his hair and wrapped myself snugly around him. His hand wandered, finding its home at last between my legs, testing my readiness and working me up some more.

"Careful," I reminded him breathlessly when he positioned himself.

I _was _ready, but Eric was a lot to take and it was better if he took it easy on me at first. He pushed in slowly but steadily, inch after inch, and my mouth opened in asilent cry.

Physically there was no better feeling than sex with Eric. I've never felt so good as when I was with him and it was only getting better the more we practised.

Eric's chest rumbled with satisfaction when he buried himself all the way inside me. I stroked his back from the base of his neck to his ass. He didn't give me much time to calm down before he started moving, keeping his thrusts long and smooth**.**

Soon I was pushing back, enjoying the way his pelvis ground against mine every time I did it. I tried to pick up the pace but he had other plans and stubbornly refused to speed up, keeping the same maddeningly slow rhythm.

I moaned loudly: There was no escape for me – I couldn't stop, but I couldn't do anything to get what I wanted any faster either. I couldn't take it for myself, I couldn't chase it, I had to wait and let it happen. The slow build-up was driving me insane. I craved more.

"Eric," I mewled. "Fuck me."

His eyes widened. I've never said something like that, even in bed. His nostrils flared as if he were a horse dancing in place, holding back the urge to rear up and gallop. Finally I was getting somewhere. I licked my lips and added softly, "Please."

That was it, he snapped. I made a strangled sound when his control vanished and he growled as he bucked his hips wildly before proceeding to nail me to the mattress very thoroughly. I climbed the remaining distance to my climax in record time: My body shook violently and I fell apart with a sob but Eric didn't stop. I was still riding my high when he flipped me and drove his personal stake right back into me.

I guess I was getting what I had asked for. I tried to say something but I don't know what; my mind was shutting down from sensory overload. It didn't matter anyway since I'm sure it came out as gibberish. I was supposed to be on my hands and knees but my limbs were still weak from my recent release and Eric's merciless pace wasn't giving me any chance to recover so I wasn't surprised when my arms gave out causing me to fall forward. I was sure I would end up landing on my face but Eric caught me before I could hit the mattress and pulled me upright, melding my upper body with his: my back pushed against his torso, his arm wrapped around my chest, holding me tight. I felt him sucking on my neck and had a sudden jolt of awareness.

"Eric," I said sternly, "no hickeys."

Eric burst out with barking laughter.

"My sweet, sweet Sookie," he rasped against my skin.

I rested my head on his shoulder, unable toreply. I felt his hand brushing against my jaw, taking my chin to turn my head toward him in a surprisingly gentle manner. His face was very close to mine and I met his sparkling eyes with my hazy ones. He kissed me hungrily and that was when I felt myself falling of the cliff, again, without any warning. He kept kissing me and thrust afew more times before he tensed and jerked inside me with a shudder and a stream of foreign words falling from his lips in a rush. I think it's safe to say that he enjoyed himself as much as I did.

We fell onto the bed on our sides, still touching and I clumsily reached for the comforter to cover us. We lay like that for a few minutes in companionable silence: Eric spooning me from behind. We were messy and sticky, covered with body fluids and probably some sugar from the ice-cream: I was contemplating trading my dream bath with bubbles for a shower with the Viking.

"So...," Eric broke the silence. "Why were you upset before?"

* * *

… **well?**


	13. The shower-talk

**Disclaimer: I don't own them, but not because I didn't want to.**

**Beta'd by Breathesgirl**

* * *

Previously: _We fell onto the bed on our sides, still touching and I clumsily reached for the comforter to cover us. We lay like that for a few minutes in companionable silence: Eric spooning me from behind. We were messy and sticky, covered with body fluids and probably some sugar from the ice-cream: I was contemplating trading my dream bath with bubbles for a shower with the Viking._

_"So...," Eric broke the silence. "Why were you upset before?_

I rolled onto my back and looked at Eric as he propped his head on his hand. His long hair was tangled and he had this messy post-sex look that looked really good on him.

"You just had to remember, didn't you?" I asked but he simply stared at me unblinkingly, waiting for my answer. I sighed, "Okay, shower first, talk later."

"Talk in the shower," Eric bargained.

I pursed my lips but I had no strength left to argue with him so I reluctantly moved off the bed and waved for him to follow me to the bathroom.

I didn't want to talk about it: I was enjoying my Bill-free part of the evening. Eric ran the water and I stepped happily into the shower, closed my eyes and put my head under the spray with Eric right behind me. No matter what, I could still enjoy getting clean. I knew he'd been waiting for an explanation but I had to turn around and face the tiles in order to concentrate sincethe sight of awet and soapy Eric was making it impossible to focus on anything else.

Eric, however, wasn't one to be ignored so it didn't particularly surprise me when I felt his arms snaking around me.

"It's nothing," I started begrudgingly. "I just had a rough day at work."

I rested my head back against his chest relishing in the feel of his blank mind. Silence. After all that chatter and tiring noise, all those mental voices shouting at me all evening, including my own, finally, a glorious, blessed silence. There was no comfort like a vampire mind for a telepath.

"Why is that?" he coaxed softly, "Tell me."

"It was a busy shift," I evaded, "I had to work hard and block a lot of thoughts."

I wasn't sure why he wanted to know that. His hands went to my shoulders and started skilfully working on the knots in my muscles: I held back a moan. If this was his way to make me talk then he was on the right path. My defences were already pretty low and he was making it worse.

"Nasty thoughts," I caved a little, since I knew he was too smart to believe I'd been upset so much only because I'd been tired.

His thumbs pressed either side of my spine, taking the ache away. He had big hands and I thought about how easily he could just snap my neck: It would take only a flick of his wrist. For someone so strong he could be surprisingly gentle if he wished to be. He was also a surprisingly good listener.

Maybe it was this whole 'know your prey' thing Pam has been telling me about while trying to explain her love of 'Dear Abby' to me?

"Were these thoughts about you?" he asked, his voice a mere whisper under the droningof the water, his touch soothing.

My head lolled back, "Yes," I said equally softly, not even fully aware I was still talking to him.

He had me close to being hypnotised with his massage. It felt so good that I didn't want to argue so he wouldn't stop.

"Why do you even work there?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious. "You could do so much more."

I furrowed my eyebrows when he asked his question, but he caught me off guard with the second part of his statement. My irritation died before it had the chance to really rise. That was the second time he had said something like that – the first was when he'd been pondering how valuable I was.

I wanted to let out a bitter laugh: I had spent my whole life among the people who called themselves my neighbours and friends. They were supposed to love and respect me, butit took hooking up with a vampire sheriff for me to hear anything positive about myself from someone who thought I was worthy and capable of achieving more than serving burgers and beer.

I smiled sadly, "You can believe me or not, but Merlotte's is actually the best and the nicest job I've ever had."

"How is that possible?" He was truly perplexed. To Eric my 'disability' wasn't a disability, it was an ABILITY, something to be cherished and used to better myself.

He lathered his hands and then ran them over my skin. Being bathed by someone was a nice feeling, one easily forgotten once you are no longer a child:you get used to taking care of yourself.

It made me feel oddly vulnerable yet comforted at the same time. Well, because it was Eric, it was arousing, too, but that's not the point here. The point is, that just for a second, I had a sudden desire to tell him everything: not only the whole truth about my terrible evening, but also about Bill, the e-mails, the queen; get it off my chest once and for all. I almost opened my mouth to say something, but I hesitated, not sure if it wasn't only the shower magic making me want to confide in Eric and if I wouldn't regret it as soon as his caressing hands were off me and then the moment was gone. I decided to answer his question instead.

"Sam is the first boss whose thoughts don't make me want to quit... I guess him being a shifter helps too. There are not many job opportunities in a small town like Bon Temps and I'm not qualified enough to apply for a position that would pay well enough that I could consider commuting. I've never gone to college."

"You couldn't afford it?"

Most people would consider his question rude, but I knew that usually the first reason everyone came up with was suspecting that I just wasn't smart enough. Even if he was blunt, I still felt that Eric's assumption was a kinder one. It wasn't untrue either.

"That, and my grades have never really been too good," I answered honestly. "I wasn't as good at controlling my telepathy back then as I am now. It was a struggle to focus on the lessons in a room full of people whose brains were thinking about anything but what the teacher was trying to teach us."

Bill had been the one who'd helped me with it. My mood darkened when I wondered if he'd been doing it to make me a more desirable prize for his queen.

"Why work at such public place as a bar then?" Eric asked. "Why not try to find something that wouldn't require dealing with so many people at once? Like a library? Or work from home?"

I shook my head, "I need to spend time with people and use my mental shields everyday, otherwise they weaken like an unused muscle making it even worse when I have to be with people again. It's tiring, but I need it as practise."

I realised that I'd never explained any of this to him.

"Have you ever thought of using your telepathy to make a living: full time, not just something extra? Make your telepathy an asset instead of treating it like it's a disability?"

I almost snorted, "Hell no! You're the only one who's ever hired me. For all my life I've been trying not to listen to peoples' thoughts. I've always thought of it more as a curse than a gift"

"Not anymore," Eric said calmly and it sounded more like a statement than a question.

He squeezed some shampoo onto his palm and started to wash my hair.

I wanted to disagree with him but stopped myself and closed my eyes. Could it be? Could he be right? I hadn't stopped to think about it, but things have changed since I'd been fresh from high school. I was older and more experienced now: I had better control over my telepathy. Humans have never accepted my quirk and most of themhad a hard time believing it, but the supes have seen it as a valuable ability: one which they were willing to pay for with Eric being the prime example. I stayed silent, using the time while Eric was working on my hair to mull it over in my head. Eric didn't press the topic, but his suggestion made me think. I didn't have to work as a waitress forever. I had other options. Would I do it? I didn't think I was ready since it would mean diving into the supernatural world all the way which was a scary concept for me. I wasn't sure I wanted it. Not now. But someday, who knows?

Eric's hands started to gravitate toward my chest and I took it as a sign that he was done with washing. I turned around wanting to return the favour. Of course I couldn't wash Eric's hair (he was too tall for this to really work), but there was still plenty of him that I could get my hands on. I snickered when I looked down and noticed just how plenty of him there was waiting for me.

"Really, Eric?" I asked, arching my eyebrow, but my mood was already lighter. "Do you even have an off mode?"

He only smirked. I started to realize that once was never enough with Eric. I knew I probably shouldn't try to make it lead to anything more again because I was already going to to be sore, but as I smoothed my hands over his strong, hard body I found that I didn't care.

"Don't you have to go back to Shreveport?" I asked just to be sure.

"Not yet."

He looked at me questioningly when I stepped away. I could have happily spent more time in the shower but the warm water was starting to run out.

"Too cold," I explained.

He rinsed quickly and cut off the water. For once I wanted to laugh at his vampire speed.

"Let me, lover" he said wrapping me in the towel.

"Do you call every woman you have sex with that?" I asked suddenly. I'd been wondering and it bothered me.

"What? No!" He sounded surprised and almost offended. "I don't call them... anything, really. They were not my lovers. They were... meals."

He meant feed-and-fucks but he was trying to be polite: It was kinda sweet.

"What am I to you then?" I probed.

Technically, since we had this weird deal, there was not much difference in the... purpose of our encounters.

"You?" he asked, as if I was talking about something totally unrelated. "You're Sookie."

Surprisingly I liked this answer. He could have said I was human, his employee, a telepath: he could have gotten into technicalities and come up with something along the lines of a 'sexual partner' or pulled the lame 'friend with benefits' card. Me being simply me sounded quite good actually.

I decided to stop confusing him any further and simply stood on the tips of my toes and kissed him. Soon my towel landed on the bathroom floor and Eric picked me up before carrying me back to bed. I didn't have to tell him that this time he needed to be gentle.

.

I fell asleep before he left.

* * *

**See? I'm good! No cliffhanger!  
**


	14. Mirror, mirror

**Hello! Sorry for the delay - I'm out of the city this week and I didn't bring my loptop with me. Have you ever used one of thies machines where you can use the Internet that work for coins? I'm using one right now. It's impossible to write a new chapter this way, but I can still post one since I have already sent it to Breathesgirl :) I apologise in advanse for any editing mistakes I might have left in hurry.  
Keep in mind, that the timeline is a little off - let's just pretend that in this universe Lorena decided to play nice for a while before imprisoning Bill, shall we? That would give Sookie and Eric some more time before shit hits the fan. **

**NSFW**

**Discraimer: Don't sue me. It's not worth it.**

* * *

Boooooooring. Sooo booooring. How in the world had I survived for so long in such a boring town?

The town was boring. The bar was boring. The people in the town, and in the bar, were boring.

Their lives were boring. Their conversations were boring. Hell, if it's even possible, I think their thoughts were even more boring than their words!

It was only Tuesday and I was already bored to death: How in the world was I supposed to survive the whole week?

I caught myself wishing that Eric would stop by after my shift. I was beginning to get used to the idea of him being a more constant part of my day-to-day (or rather night-to-night) life. By now I knew to expect seeing him more than once a week. Things were good and it was obvious that the chemistry between the two of us wasn't going to burn out any time soon. That being said, I still wasn't comfortable enough to make a first move and call him for a booty call.

It wasn't only that though: I hardly had any other excitement in my life and right then I would be happy to just hang around and have someone to talk to. I'd never noticed it before but Eric was fun.

Actually, no, when thinking about the orgy I had invited him to, and his lycra costume, I had seen this side of him before.

I was trying to figure out what was different, why he was more playful and less serious around me: I started to suspect that it was the lack of Bill glued to my side. I realized that Eric and Pam were perhaps the least standoffish vampires I knew.

I shook my head to clear it.I definitely needed to spend some fun time amongst humans, not just work time, so I promised myself that I would find time to visit Tara.

I sighed with relief when it was finally time for my break: the clock had been moving so slowly, that it seemed to be broken. I went to the ladies and took my time washing my hands. I splashed some water on my face, then rested my hands on the counter, on either side of the sink, and shot a tired look at my mirror image.

Suddenly I heard a whoosh and my ponytail swung in the wind created by a... vampire. Eric was standing right behind me. I yelped and turned my eyes from the mirror to look at the Viking himself.

"Eric! What the hell?"

He seemed very pleased with himself.

"I see that I have perfect timing," he said.

"How did you find me?"

He only raised his eyebrow.

Bloody blood tie.

"What are you doing here?" I asked suspiciously.

"I found myself very bored tonight," he replied, "so I decided that I should come and see you."

What a coincidence.

"Well, it's nice to see you and all, Eric, but I am at work right now so I don't have time to..."

He wrapped one of his arms around my waist and pulled me against his body, simultaneously trapping me against the counter and giving me a brand new appreciation of the saying 'between the rock and the hard place' only I was thinking about the othera word that rhymes with 'rock'.

"Eric," I hissed. "You can't. We can't. Not now, not here."

It wasn't what I had in mind when I thought about spending some time with him earlier.

Instead of answering he kissed me: I'm ashamed to say that I let him.

"How much time do we have?"

You've gotta be kidding me!

The thing is, I knew he wasn't – because I was considering it... or at least the less rational part of me was. My conscious mind was screaming 'no way!' but at the same time, at the back of my head, I was already plotting:it was a slow night... all of the booths were empty... Sam wasn't working ... I even went as far as doing a quick telepathic scan of the bar area to find out if there were any female customers or staff thinking about using the restroom... you know, just in case.

I turned my head, pulling away from the kiss, but all that did was turn Eric's attention to my neck. My eyes caught our reflection again and I cursed myself internally when I noticed that I had subconsciously moved, giving him better access.

Eric ran his nose along my throat and kissed a path from my shoulder to my jugular. My breath hitched and he looked up. His eyes locked with mine in the mirror and I couldn't look away.

"You're crazy," I whispered.

He smiled lazily: a slow, deliciously sinful smile. I watched his free hand wander toward my chest.

"Eric, I can't," I said frantically, trying to keep my voice low. "This is my workplace. Not now, later," but my underwear was telling another story; one which I'm sure he could read cover to cover.

"It has to be now, I can't later."

_Oh._

I gripped his hand when he squeezed my breast, but it was questionable if the act I wanted to _stop_ him, or _keep_ him there.

"Stop," I said weakly.

"You don't want me to," he challenged me hoarsely.

He pressed me harder into the counter with his hips and I whimpered feeling how turned on it was making him, not to mention how turned on I already was.

"What if someone walks in?" I argued, "What if someone catches us?"

It sounded suspiciously like I was giving in.

"They won't."

Eric's hand was now snaking under my shirt and it was clear that his aim was to place it back on its previous target, without the barrier of the fabric.

"But what if?" I insisted.

"I can always glamour them," he shrugged like it was nothing to glamour someone I knew so they wouldn't know what we had been doing in such a public.

"I don't want you to..." I stopped and inhaled sharply when Eric pulled down my bra and cupped my bare breast.

"Liar, liar," he teased when his fingers brushed against one of my tight nipples.

He rolled it and I couldn't hold back a moan. My eyes opened in shock when Eric clamped his other hand against my mouth.

"Shhhh," he cooed into my ear, his cool breath tickling me. "You need to be quiet, lover, or someone could hear you."

I shivered and stared, wide-eyed, at our reflection in the mirror.

"Can you be quiet?" Eric asked quietly.

I nodded and he let go of my mouth. I licked my lips. I knew this was wrong, but my mind was muddled. Eric rubbed himself against me.

"We should stop," I remembered.

"No, no, no," he said as he shook his head with each no, "We should fuck."

"I'm not saying that I don't want to, but, Eric..."

"You promised to be quiet," Eric murmured with a twinkle in his eye.

He dipped his long fingers into the waistband of my pants calling my bluff. He growled softly and his fangs clicked into place: I bit my lip to stop myself from crying out.

He started tugging on my pants and underwear so he could push them down past my hips. Much to my embarrassment I realised that I had no real intention to stop him.

"Eric, please, promise me," I blurted, "Just promise me that if you hear anyone coming you'll stop and block the door."

He grinned.

"I'll try."

_"Eric!"_ I whisper-yelled.

He held me tightly. I felt air on my bare skin where he had uncovered it. "Look at us," he whispered hotly, holding me to himself. "Just look at us, lover."

So I did: I looked at my flushed face and Eric's hands all over me. I looked into his eyes which were darkened with lust as he kissed me anywhere he could reach.

"So beautiful," he purred.

I stretched my arm up and behind me, wrapping it around his neck, holding his head to me.

I traced his movements with my eyes the whole time as one of his caressing hands moved lower: I didn't stop him. I gasped when he dragged his fangs across my neck, simultaneously snaking his fingers between my legs. He licked the two tiny scratches he made and they healed before my very eyes. He grunted softly.

I saw my mouth opening slightly and my eyes turning glassy as he worked me up by petting me with his hand. I knew that he wanted to take it slow but we didn't have that kind of time so it didn't surprise me when he stopped to undo his jeans.

I stroked the side of his face and didn't look away even when his pants fell to the floor and he stepped closer again before entering me in one swift thrust. I managed to turn my cry into a low moan, but failed to stifle it completely. Eric stilled for a moment giving us both a second to calm down. When he moved my whole body responded as if a wave had rolled through me. I was considerably shorter than him so I stood on my tiptoes and balanced myself by gripping the sink. He had to bend his knees but he didn't seem to mind.

I watched the whole thing, fascinated; our bodies melding together and moving in synch, my chest heaving with my laboured breathing my face changing with passion, something wild lighting in my eyes, but most of all, Eric's face, suddenly so open and expressive. At some point Eric had to cover my mouth with his hand again to keep me quiet. I kept my eyes on the mirror until the pressure building in my abdomen became too much and I squeezed them shut.

Eric had different plans, "No," he said urgently, "open your eyes."

He definitely liked eye-contact. I tried to listen to him but soon my eyes rolled back. Eric held me as I shuddered, whispering soothing words into my ear. I blinked to clear my vision and focused back on the mirror, wanting to watch him finish. His fangs were picking out from behind his upper lip.

"Don't bite," I warned him breathlessly.

He was close, but not quite there, so he had to flex his hips a few more times before it happened. I pushed back to help him. His jaw tensed when he gritted his teeth and I saw his lips turning ruby from a drop of his own blood. He didn't make a loud noise, just kind of sighted, before throwing his head back. I reached with unsteady hands to stroke his sides.

"Sorry," I said, talking about the fact that I didn't let him drink my blood.

I just didn't think it was such a good idea to come back from my break with a fresh bite mark on my neck: It was bound to raise questions.

Eric chuckled, "I'm not."

He was talking about the fact that he just banged me against the bathroom counter in Merlotte's.

When I was able to catch a deeper breath Eric turned me and lifted, sitting me on the counter next to the sink and he stepped between my legs. I sagged against his chest and hugged him. I would have liked to stay like this a little longer but it was risky as it was and we needed to clean up and fix our clothes. It was a good thing that there was a big supply of paper towels and water nearby.

"Eric Northman, I am so going to get back at you for this," I said, hopping off the counter.

"You're very welcome, lover," he purred.

I sighed, "I have to go," I said regretfully.

I was probably gone for too long already and I could only thank my lucky stars, and the slow night, that nobody had come looking for me yet.

Eric nodded. He tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and leaned, hovering over me. His eyes darted to my mouth and I closed the gap.

"I'll see you at Fangtasia," he said when we broke the kiss. "Have a good night, lover."

And then, in a flash, he was gone. He moved so fast that had I blinked I might have missed it.

Only when he had already disappeared did I notice a strange taste in my mouth: his lips had been still bloody when we kissed. I couldn't even be really mad at him since technically it was me who kissed him.

"Eric, you sneaky bastard," I whispered to the empty room.


	15. Is it wrong?

**Hallo! Thank you for your continued interest in this story.**

**No Viking in this chapter - sorry, it's daylight. But I promise, he's not far away!**

**All credit for the hard work of Beta goes to Breathesgirl.**

**Disclaimer: Can we please not talk about it? It's a sore topic for me.**

* * *

It was late morning when I sat on my bed with a mug of cofee in one hand and an envelope in the other. Eric had given it to me, but since he had distracted I had yet to open it.

I didn't stay mad at him for long for the bloody kiss since there was a check inside the envelope: my first paycheck from Eric since we'd made the deal. I looked at the number on it and blinked, then I blinked again: for a moment I felt like crying. I knew the rate we'd agreed on but I'd never totalled the hours so the amount surprised me.

The best part was this money was all mine! I had paid the mortgage with the money I'd made when Eric 'loaned' me out to Dallas. I had health insurance now so I didn't have to pay my monthly premium for that and Eric had recently paid to have my driveway re-gravelled out of his own pocket. I woke up one morning to find a road crew outside with a note reading 'I refuse to subject my car to your driveway even one more time' as the whole explanation.

I could buy a bigger water heater, one that would allow me to take longer showers. Or I could replace my car with something newer and more reliable. Or...

I stopped myself from going ahead with that train of thought. I didn't want to spend all the money as soon as I got it. It was nice to think about having some cash in reserve for once. Still, even the knowledge that I had it... I could go shopping without elaborate calculations in my head all the time. I could do simple things like buying the kind of yoghurt I liked more often, even though it was more expensive. I just wouldn't have to worry... so damn much... about everything.

I don't thinkEric realised how much the additional income was going to affect my everyday life. I don't consider myself materialistic but it made me embarrassingly happy simply because it was going to make things so much easier.

I racked my brain trying to come up with a way to celebrate without going overboard. Suddenly I remembered that my contract included not only repayment for the commuting costs, but also a wardrobe allowance so I decided a little shopping spree was in order.

I didn't wonder what to do with my newfound wealth for too long: It had been ages since Tara and I had had a chance to catch up so I decided to kill two birds with one stone: I would go to Tara's Togs and catch up on the gossip while I shopped for some new clothes and there was no time like the present since it was my day off.

I happily jumped into my car and took off. It was a nice, sunny day. I was singing along with my radio, with the windows down, on the way: it was a good thing that no one was listening because most of the time it was off key. It didn't matter though: I still enjoyed it.

"Sookie Stackhouse!" Tara greeted me when I stepped into her shop. "I'll be damned, it's really you!" She walked around the counter and hugged me.

"Hi Tara," I said hugging her back, "I've missed you."

"Damn girl, what happened to you? You're glowing!" she laughed. "It's a man, isn't it?"

"Well..." I hesitated, surprised with the sudden turn of the conversation and that she had caught on so quickly.

"It is! I knew it! Tell me. It's not Bill, is it?"

"No, it isn't," I said, feeling a little overwhelmed. "It's someone else. Um, Tara..."

"Are you in love?"

I blinked.

"No..."

"Then it must be the sex," she diagnosed with a serious expression on her face.

I was speechless.

"What happened with Bill?" she fired the next question. "Did you get yourself a new boyfriend?"

"Tara... it's not what you think."

She froze surprised.

"A girlfriend?"

I chuckled, "No Tara, not a girlfriend. It's just... it's complicated.

She gave me a look, "Isn't it always?" she asked rhetorically.

I looked at my oldest friend and decided to take a leap of faith and confess. I told her about what had happened with Bill: I didn't get into any vampire related details because I thought it wouldn't be safe for Tara to hear too much about it, but I outlined the general situation, and most importantly, my emotional state.

Then there was Eric: my rebellious desire for the rebound and that first night that had started it all, followed by Eric's proposition. When I was telling her about the deal I struck with Eric Tara interrupted me, "wait, does this mean that he offered to pay you for your 'thing'?" she asked, surprised, and pointed to my head.

I almost wanted to take offence at her amazement and the way she was referring to my telepathy, but I reminded myself that I couldn't really get irritated since that was how I used to talk and think about it.

"He did," I confirmed. "He hired me."

_Which is the reason I don't have to wait for your stuff to go on sale this time, I can buy right off the rack and not worry about the price tag._

"Well, that's great!" she exclaimed enthusiastically when her puzzlement wore off. "Congratulations, Sookie!

You're not afraid that he offered you the position based on the wrong motives, are you? Because I can't imagine there being too many candidates for the job that has mindreading in the description."

I smiled, "No, I don't think so. We actually talked about it. I made it quite clear that I wouldn't accept money for anything other than using my telepathy," I said. "You're right, there's not a lot of competition. Do you think what I'm doing is wrong?" I asked her hoping that she would reassure me.

She seemed so open when she'd been listening to my story...

She gave me a strange look.

"Sook, I'm hardly in a position to judge you," she said sheepishly and my jaw dropped when I saw the reason for this statement in her head before she could tell me about it.

"You see, there is this guy..." she started.

Tara was involved with a vampire: I'm not sure why I was so surprised.

Franklin Mott was a well-mannered, elegant man, still relatively young by vampire standards, but unlike most of the undead I'd seen he had been turned as a middle-aged man. I suppose he was attractive, though not underwear-model-hot like Eric. The reason Tara thought she was in no place to judge me was because her relationship with Franklin was pretty much a typical 'friends with benefits' arrangement. There were no passionate feelings between the two but Franklin was a gentleman and Tara liked his company. He was smart and had been taking her to concerts and fancy parties. The catch was that he was also rich and he had been giving her expensive gifts that she was gladly accepting – this was the detail that I found slightly alarming but, since she wasn't judging me, I decided not to judge her. To Tara's defence, she didn't have exactly good experiences with relationships lately. I knew that my Gran wouldn't approve, but then I also knew she wouldn't be exactly happy with my choices either. I wondered what my Gran would have thought of Eric: he was the type of the guy every parent tries to keep their child away from: the bad boy's impersonation in the purest form. On the other hand, Gran always had had a soft spot for handsome men and I knew that Eric could be very charming when it suited him.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts:Of course, it wasn't my working relationship with Eric that Tara was most interested in.

"Tell me more about this guy," Tara said. "Is this anyone I know?"

"Um. Not sure. Have you ever heard of Eric Northman?"

Her mental squeal almost gave me the telepathic equivalent of a whiplash.

"Shut up! Fangtasia's owner?"

I should have seen it coming. Tara was local, but not stuck in the small Bon Temps' gossip mill like most of my neighbours and associates and she was seeing a vampire so the possibility of her being at Fangtasia at some point and seeing Eric at least in passing was high. Any straight woman that caught as much as a glimpse of Eric would not forget him.

I simply nodded and bit my lip.

"Are you kidding me? The guy is sex on a stick! Sookie Stackhouse, you've been holding out on me! I want all the dirty details."

I shook my head, grinning, "Yes, he is and no, Tara Thornton, no details. I don't kiss and tell."

"Uh-huh. Is he that good or that bad if you can't talk about it?"

She was baiting me.

"I'm not telling you anything!"

She looked me up and down. "Are you sure you're just sleeping with him?" she asked doubtfully.

"Yeah. Why?"

She shrugged, "I'm just saying the guy is dreamy and if you're hooking up with him, I imagine it would be very easy to develop a crush on him. Unless he's a total asshole," she added as an afterthought. "Is he?"

I furrowed my eyebrows.

"No, he's not," I answered slowly. "Well, I'm sure he can be, but... he's not."

He hasn't been. Bratty, yes, but not nasty.

Tara looked at me knowingly.

"Not with you," she supplied.

I nodded numbly. I suddenly sobered up, "Tara, do you think I'm making a mistake?" I asked quietly.

She tapped her chin, deep in thought.

"Are you happy with the way things are?" she asked.

"I am."

"If not for Bill, would you normally consider going for it?"

I snorted.

"Are you kidding? I had no experience with men before Bill. I wouldn't go from a virgin to a fuck-buddy."

"Okay, yeah, I get it, but if you skip that part..."

"I don't think I can skip this part, Tara," I cut her short. "I can't imagine how things would have been. What happened, changed me. If things were different, I wouldn't be the same person I am now. It's hard to say whom I would have become. I don't think it has anything to do with Eric being Eric, though, if that's what you're asking. It's about me being be."

"Have you liked him then? I mean... you know, before?"

I thought about my answer.

"I have... in a way. I couldn't be doing this otherwise. He has a sense of humour and he gets me. I was attracted to him - it's hard not to be - but wary. At the same time I was curious about him. There is something magnetic about Eric. He's equal parts sexy and scary. I remember that the first night I had seen him I thought he was dangerous. I still think he is, but I learned to trust him, at least where my safety is concerned."

It was true - there was a reason why I asked Eric to be my bodyguard at the orgy - not just because he was capable of keeping me safe, but because I trusted him not to let anybody hurt me or to hurt me himself.

"Is this why you chose him? Because it's exciting that he's dangerous?"

She was intrigued with all the information I was giving her.

"No! I don't like being scared. It's just..." I stopped trying to put into words how I was feeling.

I've never been afraid that Eric would drain me and ditch my body on the side of the road, or something like that. More like, trapping me into situation I wouldn't normally agree to get involved... It was my freedom, not life I was concerned about with Eric. Turned out, it was Bill I should have been watching for hidden agenda and evil schemes all the time.

And then, suddenly, it clicked.

"Despite all what I just told you..." I started. "I know that Eric is a vampire and I wouldn't risk claiming that he is a good man - but he's an honourable one, or so I believe."

I was surprised with my conclusion myself, but I felt it true. There were just some things I didn't think Eric would do, like going back on his word.

Tara thought about what I said and after a moment she seemed to understand what I was trying to say.

"Do you both know what you're doing?," she asked. "Have you made it clear from the beginning?"

I nodded again, slowly.

"Then I'd say you're a lucky girl and you shouldn't overthink it. Enjoy it. There is nothing wrong in having fun as long as you're not hurting anyone, including yourself. Now, tell me: is he good?" she changed the subject to lighten the mood.

Deep down I knew that her answer was biased because she was trying to justify what she was doing herself, but it was also what I wanted to hear, so I listened to her.

"He is," I mumbled, embarrassed.

"Good. I'd be disappointed if he wasn't. He certainly looks like he is. Is he proportional?"

"Yes, he is, and I'm not answering any more questions!"

"Did you..."

"Tara!" I shrieked, blushing furiously when I saw in her mind what she was curious about. She had a very vivid, and anatomically correct, imagination.

"Oh my God! You did!" she laughed. "It was good, wasn't it?" She waggled her eyebrows.

"Stop it!" I laughed smacking her shoulder. My face was beet red.

After some more giggly girl time I managed to select some outfits and took them to the fitting room.

When I looked at myself in the mirror I remembered that Tara had said that I was glowing. Did I really look that different?

I appraised my reflection and decided that yes, I did look a little different, although it was hard to tell exactly what had changed. Finally I deduced that it was how rather than what.

It was the way I was standing, the way I was holding my head and looking myself in the eye. I looked more confident and relaxed at the same time, as if I was feeling more at ease in my own skin.

_Must be the sex_, I echoed Tara's words in my thoughts.

I smirked. Who would have thought? Then again, Eric really was something else.

I ended upbuying more formal clothes for my work at Fangtasia anda few things I liked for everyday use. I knew that Eric probably wouldn't mind if I showed up in jeans and T-shirts (his own preferred outfit when he wasn't playing up his Big Bad Vamp image), as long as I could do my job, but it was easier to act professional, and be treated as a professional, if i looked and felt the part. My main task lately was to 'check' all of Eric's employees from his various businesses, looking for signs of possible threats, frauds or any other problems: I was interviewing them one by one.

I made a mental note to stop at the shoe store too since I needed some comfortable shoes, other than my sneakers, which could go with a skirt but wouldn't have too high of a heel so so my feet wouldn't be sore and aching by the time we were into my black pumps every time I was going to Fangtasia was getting old.

Tara dared me: pointing at the section with lingerie. I was almost too embarrassed to choose anything in this department under her watchful eyes after the conversation we'd just had, but in the end I did, just to prove I wasn't too much of a coward to do it.

I also remembered that Eric told me that he wanted me to go with him to some party and listen to some of his business associates under the guise of being his date for the evening. It was quite clever, actually. Anybody that didn't know me would think I was there just as his arm-candy and wouldn't pay too much attention to me. It did mean that I needed to have something appropriate to wear for the occasion though.

I found an ivory dress that I loved. It was simple in fashion, but the colour showed off my tan nicely and the flowing, silky fabric clung to my curves while still managing to look classy. When I tried the dress on I was just glad that I had a solid excuse to buy it because it would have pained me to put it back.

Tara cashed me out and packed my purchases, all the while thinking that she hoped that whatever I was doing with Eric wouldn't blow up in my face because so far it looked like it was doing me a world of good.

We hugged and promised to call each other when I was ready to leave. I was glad that I decided to come to her shop and that we had talked: I felt closer to my friend than I had in a long time.

Tara was a proof to me: a proof that the two parts of my life, the supernatural and human, didn't have to be separated. I could live in both worlds.

* * *

**If you're good and review, I'll send Sookie to Fangtasia in the next chapter.  
**


	16. Here you are

**Here is a little something for you...**

**Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim SVM.**

**Beta'd by Breathesgirl**

* * *

"Well, well, well... look what the bat dragged in," Pam drawled as a greeting when I walked into Fangtasia.

"Hi, Pam," I replied, nonplussed, and "It's the _cat, _not the _bat._"

I was used to Pam trying to get a rise out of me or, more importantly, Eric. I think she secretly liked me.

Pam pursed her lips, "The cat? Are you sure? That's not nearly as funny"

I smiled, "I'm sure, Pam."

I didn't ask her if Eric was in: it was really hard to miss him on the stage. He was basically the first thing anyone looked at upon entering the room.

I don't think there are many people or even vampires, that wouldn't look ridiculous sitting on a throne in a modern nightclub but somehow he pulled it off.

Currently his eyes were boring holes into the back of my skull.

"Whatever," Pam said, shrugging, and then her voice became teasing again. "What brings you to our humble establishment tonight?"

The truth was that my celebratory mood didn't disappear after coming home from Tara's so I changed into one of my new dresses and made myself pretty. I spent some time wandering around the house, but I had really felt like going out. That is how I ended up at Fangtasia even though it was my night off.

It was my free day and I wanted to have some fun but I didn't feel comfortable going to some strange club alone. As funny as it sounds I felt safe at Fangtasia. I knew that Pam and Eric didn't wish anything bad to happen to their customers in their own club since it would be bad for both business and the vampire image. So, since I decided that I could use a night of dancing and the company of my undead friends and... well...

Hell, who was I kidding. It wasn't just Pam's company I hoped for.

"Oh, you know..." I said making a vague gesture. "I thought it would be nice to come and catch up when I'm not here to work... Just relax and have some fun: Maybe dance a little."

"I can provide plenty of fun," Eric purred into my ear.

I jumped and twirled, surprised with how close he suddenly was.

"Eric! What did I tell you about sneaking up on me instead?"

He chuckled, "Hello, lover," he said kissing my temple. "I'm glad you came."

His eyes were twinkling and he looked genuinely pleased to see me. At least it answered my question about how he was going to act around me in the open space of the bar. We hadn't exactly spent any real time outside of the privacy afforded by closed doors so I wasn't sure if he wanted to keep more distance in public. That didn't seem to be the case though.

"Hi, Eric," I said, smiling.

Pam rolled her eyes. "Fine," she huffed. "Pretend I'm not here. I'll leave you two to it. Just be quick about it."

I looked at her, confused.

"What do you mean, Pam?" I asked.

"I'm just saying that you don't have all night. This one," she pointed at Eric, "has an appointment in forty minutes."

"Oh," I said and turned to Eric. "If you're busy I can just..."

"No, no, no," he interrupted me, "I'm not letting you go now that you're already here."

"Um, okay then, I guess we could... Eric!" I yelped when he picked me up without warning and unceremoniously threw me over his shoulder. Caveman much? "Put me down!"

One of his hands rested conveniently on my butt. I giggled when I realised that my new position gave me a perfect view of his backside. It looked very tempting when he started walking, carrying me away. I couldn't help myself: I wriggled and stretched so I could reach far enough and slapped his ass. I grinned to myself, feeling silly.

Eric opened the door, presumably to his office, walked in then kicked it shut behind us. I squeaked again when he tossed me up to change my position. I ended up nose to nose with him but still in his arms and with my feet dangling above the floor.

"You look lovely," he complimented me, just before finally letting me stand on my own two feet.

He put me down so artfully that he somehow managed to catch the edge of my dress in the process and peel it off me in the same motion. It stayed in his hands when I slid down along his body.

He grinned at me wolfishly.

"...and now you look even lovelier," he added, quite proud of his trick.

I knew that I needed to come up with something better than this to pay him back for his unexpected visit to Merlotte's: showing up at _his_ workplace simply didn't have the potential for the desired effect of throwing him off the same way as he did to me that night. What's more, in a way I've already done it that first time before we made the deal, which was probably the only time when it might have surprised him. For now, however, it would do.

I looked up at Eric. He was dressed for the stage: black leather pants and jacket, motorcycle boots, belt, a lot of his chest on display.

_Oh, it would do quite well._

"Couch or desk?" he asked, straight to the point. "Or... a wall?" He grinned even wider.

"Aaaaa... no, thanks for the wall, I don't think I feel like the wall right now. I mean... you know what I mean." I tilted my head to the side, "Maybe a chair?" I suggested, using my best sex kitten voice.

_We haven't tried the chair yet._

Eric chuckled. Mirth danced in his blue eyes and his whole face was a mix of devilish and boyish.

"A chair works for me."

It turned out that it worked for me too. It really, really did.

About half an hour later I was sitting on Eric's desk, with my dress back on but still barefoot. My feet were resting on Eric's leather-clad thighs. The Viking himself was slouched on the chair, facing me, and looking very content. I took the slouch as a form of a compliment. His right hand was stroking my ankle lazily.

"I should go," I said quietly.

He grunted with displeasure, "I don't want you to," he almost whined.

I smiled faintly and rubbed my feet against his legs, feeling the soft, buttery surface of the leather with my toes.

"Maybe don't go," he said suddenly.

"Eric!" I laughed.

"No, I'm serious." He sat up, "Would you wait for me?"

"What do you mean?"

He run his hands up my calves, "The meeting shouldn't take too long. If you willwait for me in the bar until it's over I could take you home afterwards," he said hopefully**.**

He leaned forward and bared my knee before kissing it. My hands went to his shoulders and slipped under the jacket. I had a feeling that if we kept it up even a little longer I wouldn't be leaving the room any time soon.

Eric looked up at me, "So... what do you say?" he asked rubbing the spot he'd just kissed with his palm.

"I suppose I could do that," I said, stroking the cool skin on his shoulders before grabbing the lapels of his leather jacket and pulling Eric in for a kiss. He'd stolen the elastic from my ponytail earlier, letting my hair down, so now it fell around us when I leaned forward.

I stilled when I felt his fangs pop. "Oh, and by the way," I said against his lips, "no more swapping blood in kisses."

* * *

**tbc...**


	17. In vino veritas

**I know it's been a while, but look what I have for you - the longest chapter so far!**

**We meet Eric's dayman again. Most of you wanted it to be Philip, so here he is. I think I have an idea how to use his character later in the story.**

**I'd like to ****address**** one more thing before we start: I know there are two schools in FF as to how Eric and Sookie should act around each other in public - some think there should be a difference in ****appearances**** for the sake of other supes and Eric should show his more affectionate side only in private - and some think it w****o****uld be demeaning for Sookie. I'm trying to stay true to Eric's original character here and while I don't think he would act like a teddy-bear in Fangtasia (he's NOT a teddy-bear, anyway), I've never noticed Eric acting colder toward Sookie in public, and I even remember them dancing together in Fangtasia. The way I see it, it's pretty obvious that Sookie is special (Eric doesn't keep pets, so her long-term presence at his side is extraordinary on itself), so if he tries to downplay it too much, it would only rise more ****suspicions****, making it look like he's hiding something. You don't have to agree with me, but this is how I feel about it.**

**On with the show:**

**Disclaimer: I'm sure there is an alternative universe somewhere, where this version is a canon one. ****Unfortunately****, it's not here.**

**And did you know that BETA is someone who makes it BETTER? **

* * *

Previously:

_"The meeting shouldn't take too long. If you will wait for me in the bar until it's over I could take you home afterwards," he said hopefully**.**_

_He leaned forward and bared my knee before kissing it. I had a feeling that if we kept it up even a little longer I wouldn't be leaving the room any time soon._

_Eric looked up at me, "So... what do you say?" he asked rubbing the spot he'd just kissed with his palm._

_"I suppose I could do that," I said, stroking the cool skin on his shoulders before grabbing the lapels of his leather jacket and pulling Eric in for a kiss._

_I stilled when I felt his fangs pop. "Oh, and by the way," I said against his lips, "no more swapping blood in kisses."_

"Why not?" he asked, stunning me speechless.

Whatever response I expected that wasn't it.

I leaned back to take a better look at him, "Excuse me?" I finally managed.

He shrugged, "It's hot," was all he offered.

"No, it's not!"

"I think it is."

I snorted, "Well, _I don't _think it is."

He leered at me, "And now you're lying..."

I felt my face growing hot and I wasn't sure if it was out of anger or embarrassment.

"You're not even going to apologise, are you?"

He only smirked at me.

I crossed my arms, "I mean it, Eric! You tricked me! Again! Stop doing it, or..."

He raised his eyebrows when I paused to search for a suitably horrible threat, "or I'll stop kissing you!"

That didn't sit well with him. He made the most indignant face I've ever seen on him.

"This is ridiculous!" he hissed.

"I won't kiss you if I can't trust that you're not going to do it again! You need to promise me!"

He stared me down, displeased.

"Well? How is it going to be, Eric?"

"Fine," he spat, "I won't trick you into drinking my blood by kissing you."

I narrowed my eyes at him, "I'd rather you don't trick me at all, in any way, about anything."

"I'd rather you stop making such a big deal out of it."

"Watch it, Viking."

"We'd have to define tricking first."

I tossed my head back in exasperation and counted to five.

"You know, technically, I didn't..." he started.

"Cut the crap, Eric! You knew very well what was going on and you didn't stop me."

"Now, why would I stop you when I wanted you to do this?" he whispered.

"This is what I don't get. Why are you so set on sneaking your blood into me? I had already had it and you don't need to do this to get what you want from me!"

"The blood tie was fading, I didn't want it to disappear completely. I saw the opportunity so I took it."

"But why even bother? What do you need it for?"

"I like to know what's going on with you."

"That's a little creepy."

Or stalkerish. I couldn't decide which-

"You might not like it, but it's in your best interest. Besides, I like feeling you."

I decided to ignore the second part of his statement.

"And how is that?" I asked.

"If you're in danger I'll be able to feel your fear and come to find you."

That made _some _sense, not that I would admit it, but I still wasn't happy with him.

"Okay, I get it, so you're a control freak, but frankly, I feel it's a little unfair, Eric. My having your blood just gives you one more way to have the upper hand; you already have all the control I'm willing to give."

"Why would you say so?"

"Well, isn't it obvious? You can _feel _me. You have the advantage of knowing my emotions, while I have no idea what's going on in your head. You might claim that it's useful but I can't help but think that most of all, it's useful for _you_."

It might be a little hypocritical of me, of all people, being bothered so much by the fact that someone was privy to my feelings, when I was reading minds on a daily basis. In my defence it's not like I chose to be a telepath.

"Would you like to feel me, too?" Eric asked in a deep, deep voice.

There was something in that voice, as well as a strange glint in his eyes, that suddenly made my instincts scream at me to tread very carefully – so of course I ignored it:

"Is that even possible?" I asked, even though I felt that I really shouldn't delve any deeper into the topic.

He nodded slowly, scrutinizing me. I could almost see the gears in his head turning, though I had no idea what he was thinking of. I squirmed and forced myself to not ask the next questions which was already on the tip of my tongue. I settled on the good old avoidance tactic.

"I'm a big girl, Eric," I said, purposely changing back to the original topic. "I know you might not think much of my survival skills, but I managed to make it so far. I need to take care of myself on my own. You cannot watch my every step: It would suffocate me."

"Sookie, I promised to protect you: In order to do this I have to be able to know when you need my help."

I didn't want to relent, "So you decided to trick me?"

We glared at each other, neither of us ready to admit that the other was right.

"You know, you could just consider _asking _instead of tricking sometimes," I said, irritated.

"Oh, but then you might consider saying _no_. I prefer to ask for forgiveness than permission."

"Of course you do," I grumbled. "Okay, Mr. Smarty-Pants, why don't you ask for my forgiveness, then?"

His smirk was back, "My dearest lover, my beauteous and wondrous Sookie, please won't you find it in the kindness of your heart to forgive me for the outrageous act of not stopping you from touching your divine lips to my bloody ones. Allow me to make it up to you by worshipping the glorious form with which you grace this plane."

He ended his speech by taking my hand and dropping a kiss on it. Huh. I faltered, realising that I liked hearing the 'dearest' part very much, even though I knew very well that he was, once again, fooling around.

Not good, Sookie.

"Worshipping, hmm?" I said to cover up my reaction somehow.

"Oh, yes. May I?"

"You may, but not now," I said kindly. "Fret not, my treacherous Viking, I shall hold you to your word."

There was a knock on the door. Thankfully, someone on the other side knew better than to walk in without waiting for Eric's permission. Unfortunately, that also meant that it wasn't Pam.

"Shit," I cursed and scrambled from his desk.

Eric moved quickly and much more gracefully. Before I knew it he was on the other side of the room with a hand on the door knob.

"I'll see you in five," he said through the cracked door. "Stay in the bar," and with that he shut the door again.

I've never been so grateful for his high-handedness before.

"He can wait," Eric said.

I didn't know who 'he' was, but I caught a void on my radar before it got lost in the bar crowd. I guess that meant it was some Area business.

"I should go anyway," I said while putting on my shoes.

"You'll wait for me?"

I sighed. I'd already made my peace with the fact that he tricked me yet again. It was his attitude that was pissing me off.

"Eric, I don't want to argue with you. I'll wait. Just... please, don't do anything else to set me off, kay?"

He nodded. No witty come-back. Good.

Eric leaned in for a kiss when I was passing him on my way out. I rolled my eyes, but gave in since I really didn't want to argue with him. I nibbled lightly on his bottom lip, just to tease him, before releasing it. He growled quietly.

"You can have a drink if you want," he told me. "I'll drive."

It wasn't like this was a big sacrifice on his part, so I agreed easily. A drink would be nice.

With a last wink from him, I smoothed my dress and left him to his own devices. I was glad that he told his guest to wait for him in the bar – it would be awfully embarrassing to pass him at the door since I imagine it wouldn't take a genius to figure out what I'd been doing in Eric's office in the first place.

I stopped by the ladies to check myself in the mirror and put myself back to rights before heading back to the bar.

The bartender recognised me and refused the money I held out for my gin and tonic, saying that he had been told that I was not to pay for anything. I only wondered if it was solely on Eric's or both his and Pam's orders. Speaking of Pam...

I saw her on the floor speaking to none other than Philip the dayman. I was quite pleased with the fact that Eric decided to hire him. Pam's almost friendly posture told me that he must have been doing good. Still, I was surprised that they were talking and it didn't look like business. My curiosity got the better of me so I headed their way.

The mystery was soon solved: they were talking about fashion. It looked like Pam was so thrilled to find someone who shared her passion and opinions on the matter that she could even overlook the fact that the person was a were. She looked at me and acknowledged my presence with a nod and a smirk.

"Miss Stackhouse," Philip greeted me when I approached, "it's nice to see you again."

"It's Sookie, please" I said, smiling. It was nice that he remembered my name. "And likewise."

He smiled back, but his eyes widened a fraction in surprise. He eyed me curiously. When I peeked into his mind I realised why.

Damn supes and their freaky senses! It was my scent that caught his attention. Thankfully, he composed himself quickly and didn't ask or comment.

Not that it would matter when Pam was right there, ready to happily take over the task of embarrassing me.

"Having fun?" she asked me casually, with an evil glint in her eye.

"Sure," I said stiffly, hoping against hope that she'd drop it.

"Have you _danced _already?" _In a way... _"You said something about wanting to dance... _before_."

"Maybe later," I shrugged, pretending that I didn't notice that she was baiting me. "I don't feel like dancing alone."

"You're right, dancing by yourself is so much less fun," she said, somehow making it sound dirty.

"I can dance with you, if you want," Philip offered, completely oblivious to Pam's teasing. Men can be so clueless sometimes. "I love to dance."

Pam's face lit up at his suggestion. Her smile told me that she was reading some parallel meaning into the conversation, "That would be... interesting," she said.

I wasn't sure if it was the amusement from playing with words or the thought of Eric's reaction if he saw me dancing with Philip that she was enjoying so much.

"Thanks," I ignored Pam in favour of replying to Philip. "I'll keep it in mind."

"It's always good to keep your options and mind open," Pam agreed winking at me. "You know, Sookie, if you ask nicely, I could even dance with you. All you have to do is say the word."

"I'm flattered, Pam, but I'll pass," I said flatly.

I would say that Philip was intrigued with seeing our interaction and he was curious about what my relationship with her and Eric was. I was grateful when they got back to their original topic even though I wasn't able to contribute anything to the conversation – the world of the top designers was so foreign to me that they could probably talk about another planet and I wouldn't know the difference. This is why I was so surprised when Pam actually made a comment to me, "You should come shopping with me sometimes, Sookie," she said casually, "It would be fun."

"Oh, thanks, Pam," I said, this time genuinely. "It's very nice of you to offer. I'd love to hang out with you, but I just don't really think that we shop at the same places. No offence, I think your clothes are lovely but I can only imagine how expensive they are, and even if I could afford it, it just doesn't sit right with me to pay so much for an outfit."

She pursed her lips, "You're spending too much time with Eric," she pouted, surprising me again.

"Come again?"

"He's always telling me that it's ridiculous to pay a few thousands dollars for a pair of shoes." My eyes bulged. "Can you believe it?" she continued, "As if some of his clothes aren't just as expensive as mine!"

"Could it be that these are the clothes _you _bought him?" Philip asked innocently.

He wasn't just guessing, he had insight from running errands for them.

Pam glared at him, "What does that have to do with anything?" she huffed. "Anyway, Sookie, the money is a non-issue."

"Oh no, Pam, I won't let you pay for me," I protested.

"Not me, silly," she smirked, "I'm using Eric's credit card."

"Even worse! There is no way I'm letting _Eric _pay for my clothes, especially expensive ones!"

Yes, I bought some clothes that same day, but it was work-related and I made sure to count how much I spent and separate the expenses: I paid for the things I selected with my free time in mind with my own money! I could accept a gift from him but I wasn't about to run out and pay with his money for my personal purchases!

"Why not?" she asked. "I'm paying for _my _things with his money, too," she practically sang.

I shook my head. Truth be told I was curious about _their _relationship as well. It seemed to oscillate from business partners to daddy's girl, with best friends, siblings' banter and partners in crime falling somewhere in between.

"Your loss," she said, shrugging.

A waitress replaced my empty glass with a full one. I guess I really was on Fangtasia's VIP list. What I didn't realise was that Pam was just lulling me into a false sense of security with her shopping-talk.

She struck unexpectedly, "We're considering adding some snacks to the menu in Fangtasia," she told me.

"Oh?" I asked politely, not suspecting a thing. "What were you thinking about?"

"See, that's a funny thing. Would you by any chance know why in the world the first thing Eric came up with was ice-cream?"

I choked on my drink. Pam cackled.

"I _knew it!_"

"What did he tell you?" I hissed in the lowest whisper I could manage, trying to avoid anyone overhearing us.

"Nothing!" she complained, making a face like her feelings were hurt. "He's walking around pleased as a punch but he won't tell me a damn thing!"

_Good boy._

I didn't dare ask what kind of questions she had been asking him.

"Ooooh, you poor thing," I cooed and grinned at her.

I barely stopped myself from laughing at the look on her face but then she smiled dangerously, "Don't worry, I'll just fill in the gaps using my imagination."

So not what I wanted to hear. I think I might have paled a little, especially when I heard her muttering 'mmm... ice-cream...' to herself with a thoughtful expression. I was really glad that I couldn't hear her thoughts.

"You know what, Philip?" I said quickly. "I think I'll take you up on your offer."

I grabbed his hand and dragged the poor guy to the dance floor before he had a chance to protest.

"Sookie?" he asked when he recovered. "What's going on here?"

"We're dancing!" I said using my most cheerful voice. I hoped my smile wasn't too crazy.

"I'm not going to get in trouble because of this, am I?"

"Nope! I promise."

_At least I hope_ _not__._

"Okay then," he shrugged. "Let's show them how to do this."

I giggled when he spun me around. I love dancing and as it turned out, Philip was a good partner. It was refreshing to dance without having to worry about sexual tension. Sure, the spark was lost, but I could relax and enjoy myself.

"Thanks, Philip" I said, grinning,when we decided to take a break: I was slightly out of breath. "It was fun."

I sat next to Pam who looked like she hadn't moved from the spot where we left her. I downed the rest of my drink in one big gulp when Philip excused himself to the restroom and I knew that I had to mentally prepare myself for staying with Pam. She gave the bartender some signal and in a minute I had a fresh drink sitting before me. Again.

"Are you trying to get me drunk, Pam?" I asked.

She smiled, "Maybe."

I decided to slow down.

"So... tell me, how is it going?" she asked.

"It depends on what you're asking about."

"Eric."

At least she was honest. I smiled, "It's good."

"Now, that's kind of obvious. I wouldn't expect anything less from _Eric_, but tell me... are you two talking, or just fucking?"

On second thought maybe I did need some liquid courage: I took a small sip.

"Sorry, Pam," I managed to stutter. I looked around shocked that she would casually ask that question in such a public place. "I don't really want to discuss it."

"Oh, Sookie, don't be so shy. I know the talking part is kind of embarrassing, but don't worry, it happens to the best of us."

"Um..."

"If you're not comfortable telling me about that we can leave it out."

"Thanks... I think."

"However we could talk about the fucking part..."

"No, we can't!... Pam..."

"Relax! Of course we can. We don't let minors into Fangtasia so you can speak freely. No one would mind. So, tell me... how do you like it?"

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, you know, like: where, in what pos...

"I'm not telling you my sexual preferences Pam!"

I must have said this too loud because the vampire sitting in the booth next to us, Maxwell Lee, turned his head and winked at me. I blushed furiously.

Pam pouted, "You're no fun."

I glared at her.

"You sure you don't want to talk? I could tell you some interesting things too... For example, Eric has a thing for..."

"_La, la, la!_" I tried to drown her out.

I covered my ears, but it didn't stop me from wondering: for what? Blondes? Tits? Eye-contact? Red underwear?

These were the things I knew about. Was there something else? Well, I guess there would be... Maybe I _did _want to know that one after all. I peeked at Pam, but for once she listened to me and quit talking. Of course she would choose that moment to stay quiet. She looked at me with polite interest: hands neatly folded in her lap. I had a feeling she knew exactly what I was thinking and wanted me to ask her to finish her sentence. She smirked and I took another sip of my drink to buy myself some time. Luckily I was saved by Philip who returned just in time to stop me from answering her. I breathed a sigh of relief.

All in all I was enjoying myself, but I still couldn't help myself when I saw Eric's blond head in the crowd – I literally stood up to see him better. He was easy to spot because of his height: even in the dim light of the club. He caught me staring at him and closed the distance in a few long, quick strides and in the next moment he was standing right before me. I don't know what got into me but I jumped and threw my arms around Eric's neck. Actually, I know what got into me: gin. I was more tipsy than I thought. Crap.

Thankfully, he didn't freeze at my over enthusiastic greeting, but simply caught me, which was a good thing because I might have tripped otherwise. I was suddenly very embarrassed but he seemed amused. I wasn't much of a drinker normally since alcohol doesn't exactly improve my control over my telepathy, which was a recipe for a disaster, but this time I was able to latch onto vampire voids which helped me to shield myself.

"Sorry," I mumbled sheepishly.

"Never apologise for throwing yourself at me."

Great.

I turned in his embrace to face the room again but he didn't let go of me immediately. He kept his arms around me, almost as if he was trying to make a point. Pam looked at us with unabashed curiosity while Philip paled a little when he realised we must be closer than he expected. Eric nodded at him, "Thank you for keeping my Sookie company until I could get free," he said smoothly and suspiciously politely.

Subtle, he was not.

_I am SO glad that Eric knows I'm gay_, Philip thought, and I couldn't completely disagree with him.

"It was a pleasure," he mumbled, but then made an 'Oh, shit' face, because he wasn't sure if that was the right choice of words.

The poor guy was sweating trying to figure out if Eric was mad at him or not, so I hissed at the Viking, sure that he could hear me:

"Stop scaring him. He did nothing wrong."

Eric smirked and it gave him away. The bastard! He was enjoying it.

"Luckily for him, he didn't," Eric agreed speaking at a normal volume – and with a thinly veiled warning, "Which is why he has nothing to fear from me."

Philip nodded again, visibly relieved and smiled faintly at me.

_Lucky girl_, he thought in awe and I smiled back brightly. I certainly felt lucky, especially when he started thinking about how it explained Eric's _complete _disinterest in fangbangers. Eric hadn't given me any reason to doubt that he was keeping his end of the deal but it was still nice to hear a confirmation.

Eric needed to discuss something with Pam before leaving so he slid into the booth and I sat next to him, leaning against his side. Philip made himself scarce quickly after that and the talk with Pam didn't take long either, so soon I found myself alone with Eric.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked.

I rested my head on his shoulder, "Sure. Eric?"

"Yes, lover?"

"I like you," I mumbled into his jacket.

He chuckled and replied, "I hope so."

My drunken self knew he didn't catch the true meaning of my (possibly slurred) confession.

"No," I insisted. "I _like _you."

He didn't say anything to that but I felt him pressing a kiss to my forehead. For some reason, it seemed important at the time – but maybe it was just because of all the gin I drank.

* * *

**Does the longer chapter mean that I'll get more reviews for it?  
**

**P.S. Oh, and one more thing - have you seen my new TB short story yet? No? Check it out! It's titled "Wait"**


	18. Family matters

**Because I didn't get to reply to all of your wonderful reviews I'll say it now: thank you! You made me very happy!**

**Breathesgirl, yes, I belive that BETA is BETtah ;)**

**Disclaimer: If you're looking for the person who owns Eric, that would be probably CH or Freyda - I suspect they may be really one and the same and this is why the book ended the way they did - SHE just wanted to keep Eric all to herself.**

* * *

I was already half asleep when I thought I heard somethingoutside: a car engine? It stopped so I ignored it, since I was barely even conscious, and started to drift away again but Eric's voice drew me back.

"Sookie."

I groaned and tried to snuggle deeper into him instead of getting up. I was sprawled across his chest with my legs entwined with his. I really didn't want to move.

"Sookie, wake up," he urged. "Someone's getting into the house."

That got my attention soI finally opened my eyes.

"Huh?"

"Can you tell who it is?"

I forced myself to concentrate and groaned again when my telepathy zeroed inon the familiar mind downstairs.

"It's just my brother," I said sleepily.

What the hell was Jason doing here so late?

We both sat up. I heard a loud thud and a jangle and then a muffled curse. It sounded as if Jason was going through my pots. Eric's hearing must have been telling him much the same story because he asked me, "Why is your brother stealing your food? Is this some kind of a game?" He sounded as confused as I felt. Rationalization skills and a sleepy brain don't necessarily mix.

I sighed.

"No, it's just Jason being Jason. Honestly, I have no idea why he's here. Wait here. I'll go and see what he wants."

I reluctantly got out of bed, grabbed my housecoat and steered towardsthe stairs without waiting for Eric's response. Sure enough I found Jason in the kitchen with his head in my fridge.

"Jason," I called to get his attention.

He choked on something and finally shifted his focus from the food to me and looked up with a startled expression.

"Jeezus, Shook," he mumbled around the mouthful of food he waschewing. His cheeks were comically stuffed. "You scawed me! You shoulda warn me ow somethin'!"

Seriously? He walks into my house in the middle of the night without knocking and _I _should warn _him_?

"Maybe you should try callin' before you come over then. It's late Jason, what do you want?"

His eyes lit up as if he remembered something. He held his finger upin a 'wait a sec' gesture, shut the fridge, swallowed and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Then, without missing a beat, he yelled at me:

"What the hell, Sook?!"

"Excuse me?! You come over, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, raid MY fridge and yell at ME?" I've got a set of lungs on me and I used every ounce of breath in them to get my point across!

Unfortunately Jason was unfazed, "Why am I always the last one to find out 'bout everythin'?"

"What do you mean everything?"

"You know, things...

Don't you have any beer? Damn, this chicken is good..."

"No, I don't have beer. Jason, focus! What are you talking about?"

"What am I talkin' 'bout? What am I talkin' 'bout? Bill! What else would I be talkin' 'bout?"

Okay, he got me there. I was too surprised to say anything so I just let him go on with his rant.

"I had to hear it from Jane Bodehouse of all people!"

"Jane Bod...?"

He talked right over me, like he didn't even hear that I had started to speak"...Cause, apparently, every single damn person in Bon Temps already knew it for a while! Well, at least everyone who was at Merlotte's tonight already knew! Except for me – your own brother! How could you keep it from me?" He sounded... hurt?

He started to pace.

"Jason..."

"Where is that motherfucker?! I'll shoot his pasty ass for messin' with my lil' sister..."

"Jason! Calm down! Bill's not here. What exactly did Jane tell you?"

"Well, apparently that Bill Compton has at least adozen girls in different states and he'sdoin' some seriously messed-up shit with 'em. He's stealin' their money, too. _And _they say that he got one of them – he's fifth wife, I think, who also happensto be hisgreat-great-granddaughter, can you believe it? – pregnant. _That's _why he left. So, as soon as I heard, I got here – nice driveway, by the way – to... you know, defend your honor. Wait... _you _ain't pregnant, are you? Because I'd kill the son of a bitch on the spot..."

I couldn't help butlaugh hystericallywhen I listened to Jason. Oh, boy, is Bill in for a surprise when hecomes back and isconfrontedwith the town gossip.

"Sorry, sorry..." I said. "N-no, of course I'm not pregnant, you butthead! Vamps can't have kids!"

"Oh... Huh, that's cool..."

Trust Jason to think with his dick.

"So... does that mean that all of this is... not true?" he asked.

Hallelujah! The elevator finally made it all the way to the top!

I shook my head. He visibly deflated.

"Then why would you tell Jane somethin' like that?"

God, have mercy.

"I didn't. She made up most of it."

He perked up again.

"_Most _of it?"

"Yeah, Bill and I are no longer together. He's a pig and he ran away to be with someone else, at least that part's true. That pretty much covers it."

"What a..."

"Jason! Language."

"Sorry. Can I shoot off his balls if he ever shows his face again?" he sounded hopeful.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I can handle him."

"Are you sure you two are related?" a new voice joined the conversation.

Eric was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. Of course he didn't listen to me. I was just thankful that he put his pants on.

"Shit, Sookie," Jason said, taking Eric in. "You sure move on fast."

He sounded as if he couldn't decide if he should be indignant or impressed. I rolled my eyes.

"Eric, this is Jason, Jason, this is Eric," I introduced them like a good hostess should.

There. At least _one _of us still has their manners.

They stood there staring at, and assessing, each other.

"Is he your new boyfriend?" Right to the point when you don't want him to be, that's Jason.

"I'm not a boy," corrected Eric.

God bless him, it saved me from answering. But because my brother wasn't the sharpest tool in the box, it also made him eye Eric disbelievingly and drop his gaze to the Viking's leather-clad crotch: There was only so much those pants could conceal.

I listened to Jason's inner musings about Eric's gender and couldn't decide if I wanted to cover my eyes or ears more. I just prayed that he wouldn't say something too dumb.

"If you say so..." Jason said uncertainly.

Eric sent him a blank stare and then a dangerous glint appearedin his eye. Unlike Jason, Eric _was _sharp.

"On second thought, maybe you do look a little alike," he purred, cocking his head to the side, "Sookie, your brother _does _look scrumptious."

Eric smiled like the cheshire cat and Jason paled a little, just not for the right reasons.

"Oh, no, man," Jason protested vehemently. "I ain't into that. I have nothin' against people with different..." he paused, but the word he was searching for turned out to be too complicated, so he just settled on, "...people who are. Into it. But I'm not. Not at all."

It was true – Jason wasn't homophobic, but guys hitting on him always freaked him out.

"Besides, wouldn't it be creepy if you're with my sister? I mean... not at the same... God, not at the same time!"

Maybe I should just bleach my brain.

"Jesus, Jase, Eric'skidding," I cut in before he could dig himself even deeper. I glared at Eric, who simply winked at me. "He's not gay."

"Oh, good," Jason exhaled with relief. In fact, he relaxed so much that he opened the fridge again and rummaged through its contents some more.

"You want some?" he asked, presenting us with chicken leg in his hand. How considerate of him.

"I don't eat animals," Eric deadpanned.

Jason made a shocked face. He clearly had no idea who he was dealing with.

"You're a... ah... vegeterrorist?"

I just shook my head.

"Suit yourself," Jason said shrugging.

Both Eric and I silently watched as he fixed himself a plate of food.

"Is this something you normally do?" Eric asked him after amoment. "Cleaning outyour sister's fridge?"

"Sure," Jason answered unperturbed, with his mouth full. I cringed.

"To take care of her?" Sarcasm wasn't something Jason was good at picking on, he didn't do subtle too well either.

"Damn right! I'm her big bro."

"Thatexplains why she prefers to take care of herself than asking for help."

Jason looked a little uncertain for the first time. Even he could tell that Eric was getting at something. I wasn't sure if I wanted to see this conversation play out

"You must not visit her too often though sinceI've never seen you around before tonight."

"That would be because Jason usually stops by during the day, not midnight," I said, looking pointedly at my brother but he didn't take the hint. Instead he dropped his (or was it mine?) chicken and looked up.

"Does that mean that he doesn't stay the mornin'?" he asked, staring at Eric judgmentally.

"Never," Eric replied without missing a beat. Thankfully he seemed to find some humour in the situation.

"Dude, that ain't cool!" said my man-whore brother.

I really didn't think calling Eric 'dude' was smart. I sighed.

"Jason, Eric is a vampire," I tried to cool things down. "Of course he doesn't stay till morning. He can't."

"Convenient," Jason huffed, still glaring.

Being dead for the day? Not really...

"Wait..." God save us, Jason's brain started working. What are the signs of the signs of the apocalypse again? "Vampire? Again? Sook, you ain't, like, one of 'em, you know..."

I saw Eric tense from the corner of my eye so I rushed to stop Jason before he could have a chance to say the word that was ringing clearly in his mind: a 'fangbanger'. I could tell that Eric's esteem of Jason dropped another notch.

"No, I most certainlyamnot!" I said sternly.

"Sorry," Jason said a little sheepishly.

I suppose in his own way he was just trying to look out for me. Jason dug into his food to cover his embarrassment. Eric just looked at me and raised his eyebrows. I shrugged again. What was I supposed to say? I was getting tired, so I grabbed a chair for myself and sat down, half way between Jason and Eric.

"So... Eric, right?" Jason asked when he recovered, all too quickly. He was using his 'protective brother' voice. I groaned internally. Eric simply stared at him. Hewas still standing in the spot he was using when this inane conversation started. "Are you plannin' on stickin' 'round?"

I shifted my weight uncomfortably, unhappy that he would ask such a question and not sure how much more it would take before Eric lost his patience with my loveable but totally not getting it brother, but he surprised me by simply saying:

"I am."

Good to know.

Jason nodded, pleased with his answer, and shoved the last portion of food into his mouth.

"You treat her right, ya hear me?"

Again, instead of voicing some sarcastic remark or at least smirking, Eric said calmly:

"I do."

I looked at him with a question in my eyes, but his expression was unreadable.

"You better." Jason pushed aside his empty plate and stretched. "Alright, sis. I gotta go."

He kissed my forehead and extended his hand to Eric, not knowing that vampires don't shake hands. He was trying. He really was. He just kept missing the mark.

"You take care of yourself," he told me. "And _you _take care of her," he said, practically jabbing his finger into Eric's chest.

Eric looked at his hand as if Jason was giving him a fish and ignored it in favour of simply nodding in acknowledgement.

"I will," he said – and then, probably he couldn't help himself, he added: "I don't think our ideas of taking care of Sookieare the same though."

"Hey, no nasty talking!" Jason called on his way out.

For once though, I wasn't sure if this was what Eric was aiming for.

The door shut after my brother, and just like that, he was gone; my gaze fixed on the dirty plate he left behind for me to wash.

"That was Jason," I said.

"You deserve a better brother," Eric stated flatly.

I sighed.

"He's not the brother of the year but I love him. He really does care about me, he just don't know how to show it."

"He could start by helping you out around the house instead of helping you out of your food. He should be taking care of you and not only in his words. It's his duty as your brother."

I was a little surprised with Eric's strong opinion on the matter.

"Did you have a brother?" I asked without thinking and then realised it was really none of my business. "Sorry, you don't have to answer that."

"I don't mind. Yes, I had an elder brother."

"Were you guys close?"

Eric looked thoughtful, as if no one had ever asked him this question before and he needed to think about it.

"You could say that. He used to teach me a lot of things and I used to try, and failed,to best him at everything when we were kids. He was four years older than me.

He died when I was sixteen."

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"Don't be. It was a very long time ago, and they were harsh times. Death was a part of life. I rarely think about it anymore."

"What happened to him?"

"He was killed when one of the local tribes attacked my village. I survived. I guess I bested him then, in a way."

It pained me that he was talking so calmly, so emotionlessly, about something so traumatic. I knew that it was a normal course of things to him and he'dhad areally long time to come to terms with it but still... There wasn't even a hint of sadness in his voice and it made _me _sad for him. I had to admit, it was pretty strange to imagine Eric living this different life, somewhere far away and long ago, with his people and family. And then he shocked me even more by saying matter of factly:

"I married his wife."

"What?" Did I really hear him right? "Why?"

"To take care of her. It was the honourable thing to do."

I blinked. It was just too weird for me. Talk about cultural differences! No wonder Eric felt like you should take more responsibility for your family.

"They were different times, Sookie. Arranged marriages were the norm and I was deemed a man when I was twelve:Marrying my brother's widow was just a way to take care of the family."

"Did you love her? Your wife?"

I was genuinely curious.

"I wasn't in love with her, but I supposedthat, at some point, I did love her, in a way. She was a good wife and a strong woman. I respected and liked her. We were just more likefriends and partners than lovers... Well, at least outside of the bedroom."

He grinned at me and I just shook my head but I understood what he was telling me: there was a difference between the romantic love and the love you have for your family and I think that Eric was talking about that second kind of love – only it was impossible to imagine Eric in a relationship without sex, so you had to add it to equation.

I yawned.

"Sorry. I'm tired."

"It's late. You should go to sleep," he said. "I'll go."

"Okay," I said standing up to walk him to the door.

He put on his leather jacket.

"We're going to the party next Friday, right?" I confirmed.

"Yes. I'll pick you up," he said before lifting my chin with his finger and kissing me goodbye. "Goodnight, Sookie."

I gave him what I'm sure was a dopey smile.

"Night, Eric."

The door hadalready closed behind him, and I was turning to go upstairs, when I heard him calling:

"Lock the door!"

"Okay, okay!" I said turning back to do as I was told and then added under my breath: "_dad."_

His hearty laugh chased me to my bedroom.


	19. Bonus:Prepare to be PAMpared

**Okay, I know that I owe you some plot&porn, so I promise that I'll give you at least ONE of these things in the next chapter. As for now, I have a little bonus for you.**

**Disclaimer: All rights and wrongs belong to Charlaine Harris.**

**Thanks for my Beta, Breathesgirl**

* * *

Bonus chapter:

Prepare to be PAMpared

**.  
**

It was Thursday night when I got a surprise visitor: the _other_ blond, undead Fangtasia owner was in my living-room.

"Pam! What are you doing here?" I asked, "And how did you get in?"

She was already seated on my couch.

"Why Sookie, no hallo? Are you not happy to see me? I'm hurt."

"Um, hi, Pam," I said slowly "How did you get in?"

And _why_?

"Eric's right. You should learn to lock your doors."

I scoffed.

"I lock them when I'm going out. I don't know why anyone would bother to break in anyway. There is not much to steal."

I shrugged and Pam gave me a disapproving look.

"There is you."

"Seriously Pam! We're not talking about my door locking habits! You've never been here before so you shouldn't be able to get in. You don't have an invitation. How is this possible?"

Pam made a smug face.

"No, you didn't invite me in, but you did invite _Eric,_ and since I am of his bloodline, it is enough for me to be able to enter."

My eyes bulged.

"Wow, wow, wow, Pam, slow down! Explain."

"Eric is my maker. If you invite him, you invite me and vice versa."

Well, isn't that just peachy?

"Wait... are you telling me that if I invite a vampire in I automatically invite every vampire who is related to him or her by blood?"

"Oh no, just the direct descendants and ancestors," she said dismissively, waving it off with her hand. "For example, if I had a child, it would not be able to get in unless you invite _me_. Eric's invitation wouldn't be enough."

_Good to know._

"How many children does Eric have?" I asked feeling that my head was beginning to spin.

"Don't worry. There's only two including me. Karin is not as close with Eric as I am though, so I don't know if you'll ever meet her."

"Karin?" I whispered, overwhelmed.

"My vampire sister," Pam supplied helpfully. "She's older than me."

I walked to the other end of the couch and plopped down. I needed a moment to process.

"What about Eric's maker?" I asked.

She looked at me unblinkingly and I could have sworn that there was something frosty in her eyes but she didn't make any outward sign of whatever was on her mind.

"What about him?" she said in a deceptively calm tone.

"Is he... or she... still alive? I mean, undead?"

"_He _is. He's probably somewhere on the other side of the ocean, but Eric has not heard from him for a very long – and I mean a _very _long – time."

She made it sound as if not seeing his Eric's maker was a good thing and I couldn't help feeling curious.

"You don't like him, do you?" I commented.

"I will not talk badly about my maker's maker," was her stiff reply. "Let's just say that he's a different kind of maker than Eric is."

Huh. She sure sounded like she had a lot to tell on the topic and none of that was nice. I didn't want her to get in trouble with Eric for badmouthing his maker though so I dropped it.

"Eric is a good maker, isn't he?" I asked, changing the topic.

"The best," she said fiercely and judging by the look in her eyes she believed it.

I smiled softly. Daddy's girl indeed. Then I chuckled.

"What is it?" Pam asked.

I shook my head.

"Nothing. It's just hard to imagine that you're _not _the only child."

Pam pursed her lips. Well, at least she was daddy's _little _girl since she was the younger one.

"Anyway, Sookie, I'm here for a reason," she said.

"Oh?"

"And it's not so we can paint each other's nails."

"I'm so disappointed. Tell me, I'm all ears."

"It's so we can get our nails _done_. We're going out."

"What? Why?"

"You're going to the party tomorrow. You need to relax and make yourself pretty. I want to chat with you somewhere where you can't run away screaming whenever you hear something that you find embarrassing."

"I do not..."

"Dear Abby says that it's important to spend time with your friends," she said and crossed her arms over her chest, looking victorious.

That shut me up. Did she... want to hang out with me? And did she just imply that we were friends?

"Now?" I tried for the last time.

"Yes, now. There are beauty salons for vampires that are open at night. I have to warn you though: if you're going to make a fuss about it, I'll sit here and embarrass you until you agree to go."

"What do you mean: embarrass me?"

Pam smiled. Why does THAT particular smile make me feel nervous?

"Do you know that Eric kept your panties?" she fired at me.

"W-what?" I was too stunned to stop her from talking. I was so going to smack Eric for this...

"Well, what was left of them, anyway..." she chuckled. "The black lacy ones that you wore under that tight red dress I think... cute, by the way..."

That would be _the _dress. The fire-engine-red one.

"How do you know they were mine?" I asked without thinking.

"From the smell," she answered without missing a beat.

_Eww... _Also: _Dumb, dumb Sookie!_

"Anyway, I found them torn and under his desk..." _Oh my God! "..._and I tried to throw them away, but he threw a hissy fit when he saw them in the trash can."

"Pam, can you keep your voice down, please?" I whined even though there were only the two of us. It would be just my luck for Bill to come back and lurking about in time to hear her.

"...He snatched them out and hid them. I don't know what he did with them but it didn't look like he liked the idea of getting rid of them."

"Okay, that's enough_..." _I said standing up. "I'll go, okay? Just... stop!"

She stood up too.

"Excellent!" she said clapping her hands. "Now, show me your dress."

That is how I ended up trapped on the chair next to Pam in the beauty salon, unable to walk away, with wet nails.

It was scary. It was fun. It was something I would not forget anytime soon.

* * *

**I took some liberty with the invitation rules here. I feel that CH wasn't quite consequent about it anyway (I remember Appius implying that he can get in without invitation because Eric was inside, but it wasn't explained any further and we didn't see this rule in work with any other character). **

**Next time we're going to the party!**


	20. Not so fast

**Sooo... still not much plot, but somehow, I think you won't mind. Don't worry, though, it's coming!  
**

**Beta'd by Breathesgirl.**

**Disclaimer-disshlaimer.**

* * *

_It's not a date_, I reminded myself for the hundredth time as I looked in the mirror.

It wasn't. Not really. I was just going to accompany Eric to the party – the _business _party – to help him. I was going to _work _there. This was _not _about having fun. _Riiiiiiiight, _my little girl voice said.

That's what I kept telling myself – but the dress, last night's visit to the beauty salon, Eric picking me up – all of this was making it feel a little like it was... you know...

..._like a date._

I brushed my lashes one more time with mascara and decided that my makeup was finished. I didn't want it too heavy so I opted for the lighter shade of lipstick this time instead of the blood red but I made sure to accentuate my eyes.

I wasn't wearing much jewellery either – just my Gran's pearl drop earrings. I simply didn't own anything else classy enough that could match them. My hair was brushed to one side and secured with a few pins to stay that way, but I left it hanging loose down the side. I had thought about tying it up but I wasn't really very good at sophisticated hairdos so I gave up after a few failed attempts.

I looked at myself critically and then broke into a smile: I looked damn good. To add a final touch I sprayed myself with some perfume (it was the one Eric had picked once for me – Obsession – not that it meant anything) and gave myself a stern look before saying, this time aloud,

"It's not a date."

It wasn't working. I sighed and turned away from the mirror.

Eric should arrive any minute, so I took my handbag and collected the items I could need. I slipped into my heels: since I was going with Eric I could use some extra height.

I was just smoothing my dress when the doorbell rang;I opened it to reveal Eric standing on the porch. I drank in the sight of him. God, he was gorgeous, even more so when he dressed up. He was wearing black from head to toe – shoes, tailored suit and shirt, but no tie, leaving his collar open instead. Simple, but stunning. His dark clothes contrasted nicely with his pale skin and golden hair that was braided this time; the look reminded me more of a samurai than what I knew his heritage to be. Still, I had a feeling that if I imagined a sword strapped to his back, it wouldn't be totally out of place.

I smiled at him.

"Hi Eric. Just let me grab one more thing and I'll be ready to go," I said as I stepped back to allow him to enter.

"You'rebeautiful," he said which only added to the date-likefeeling of the night.

I couldn't help it – I blushed. No man had ever told me that.

"Yeah, this dress is really pretty, isn't it?" I tried to brush off his comment and avoid looking into his eyes.

"It is," he agreed, "but that's not what I meant."

He leaned down to kiss me but I ducked.

"Don't smear my lipstick," I said.

He made an 'are you kidding me' face and I had to turn to hide my smirk.

I made myself busy looking for a shawl. It was a chilly night and I needed to have something that I could use to cover my shoulders if I got cold. Eric stepped behind me and pulled me back against his chest.

"Everyone who sees you tonight is going to want to have a bite of you," he said into my ear, causing me to break into goosebumps, but not because of the temperature.

I inhaled sharply when he brushed his fingertips against the exposed side of my neck.

"Too bad. They're not going to get it," I whispered back relaxing against him for a moment.

"No," he grunted, pleased with something. "They are not. _I _am."

I wanted to snort, but he started to kiss my neck and all thoughts about making fun of him flew out of my head.

"Eric," I said with some effort. "Not that I don't like what you're doing, but we need to get going. C'mon, I'm ready."

He snickered.

"Oh, I know. That was the point."

I huffed and pushed him away.

"Ready to _go_, you pervert."

He pinched my side lightly but followed me outside when I marched to the door. His Corvette was parked in my driveway which meant that I was in for a smooth but very fast ride. Eric opened the door for me like the gentleman he wasn't and I smiled to myself. It was nice to get a taste of the fancy life once in awhile. I just made sure to buckle myself in.

"Are you working tomorrow?" he asked once he started the engine.

"Yes, a lunch shift, unfortunately," I answered.

Since I was working for Eric it wasn't so important to me to make so much money atMerlotte's so I wasn't so adamant on getting all the evening shifts I could, since I didn't need the tips as much as the other waitresses.

"Don't worry, I can stay up late if you need me to. It won't kill me," I added quickly. "Is that why you asked?"

"I thought you might be tired and want to stay the night in Shreveport and come back tomorrow, but I'll drive you back if you need to be up early."

"Oh, thanks," I said surprised and then added unsurely, "Maybe another time?"

I wanted him to know that I appreciated the offer. It was really thoughtful of him to ask, even if it was unexpected. He's never proposed anything like this before. He smiled at me,

"Maybe."

He took a turn onto the main road and stomped on the gas pedal: I gripped the door handle.

"Eric, slow down," I demanded.

I know he is an excellent driver and his car is much more reliable than mine, but it was still making me nervous.

"Make me," Eric sassed, amused with my behaviour.

I narrowed my eyes at him. Was that a challenge? I don't know if he meant it to be but I took it as one. I had a sudden urge to punish him for scaring me and laughing at my expense.

He thought it was funny to watch me squirm? Oh, we'll see about that!

I bet I could make _him _squirm. This, finally, was a perfect opportunity to get back at him for all the times he had the upper hand.

I was feeling naughty so I decided to tease him. I rested my hand on his thigh and started to draw light circles on his leg. He shot a quick glance toward my hand but didn't seem concerned.

"You're only encouraging me," he informed me.

I snaked my hand a little higher and ghosted my fingers over his inner thigh**.**

"The faster you drive...," I purred, "the slower I move my hand."

"Oh, a game?" he said, his voice dropping lower, "I love it when you want to play."

His pants were rapidly getting tighter. There was no hiding the fact he was turned on by what I was doing; something else wanted to come out and play.

I smiled. I was starting to enjoy it. I applied a little more pressure on his muscles. Eric inhaled sharply.

"Lover," he warned. "Don't start something you're not going to finish."

"Who's saying that I'm not going to finish?"

_Or rather, who's __saying __I'm not going to finish __**him**__? If he was a goood boy..._

I moved my hand all the way to the place where I guessed his – now silent – femoral artery was, but then I stopped my progress. Eric grunted his displeasure.

"Slow down," I whispered.

"Since you ask so nicely...," he said, smirk in place, and slightly lifted his foot. It looked like he didn't care if I won this game. "Will you thank me now?"

"Mmmm, not yet," I replied dragging my fingertips just above where he wanted me.

"And now?" he asked getting _close _to the legal speed limit.

"Better," I said a little hoarsely and finally palmed him lightly through the fabric of his slacks.

He exhaled slowly. I could almost feel the heat radiating off my body and into his.

"Eric, eyes on the road," I said stilling my hand when I noticed he was shooting too many side-glances for my taste.

"Sookie, hands on the dick," he parroted me and, much to my surprise, a giggle escaped me.

I resumed massaging him slowly – too slowly. I knew soon it would not be enough. He flexed his hips slightly.

"Slow down," I repeated.

"Speed up," he shot back, but he listened to me nonetheless and I could see he was fighting back a smile.

Truth be told, right then I didn't really care about the speed he was driving; I was just enjoying the game. He was playing along so I stroked him just like he liked. He groaned and I continued like that until he spoke:

"More," he said hopefully.

He was such a good sport about everything, so I decided to take pity on him and reached to unbutton his pants and then unzipped him carefully. I did not lie – I was planning to finish this. Eric sighed contently when I freed him and provided some much needed skin to skin contact. I've never done something like that before – sexing up in a car – so I was a little shy but I was also excited.

"Much better," he muttered to himself and I grinned.

I pumped him steadily and added a little twist to my hand; working him up.

My eyes darted back and forth between his crotch and his face. Watching him like thiswas thrilling. I licked my lips: I wanted to taste him but I was a little unsure of myself. As I said, I didn't have much experience with this. Eric must have figured out what was going through my head because he all but growled:

"Do it."

I unbuckled my seatbelt and leaned over his lap. I brushed his shirt aside to expose his lower stomach, planted a kiss on the soft skin right above his happy trail and admired a lipstick mark it left behind. It looked good there.

I kept stroking him with my hand; My heartbeat quickened.

I took a shaky breath and hesitated for a second, but then I saw that the rush of air from my exhale was enough to make him twitch so I decided to experiment and blew harder on his swollen flesh.

"Sookie," Eric said in a strained voice.

"Mmmmm?" I hummed innocently and took a first, soft lick.

"Again," he urged me.

I did it and then some. I knew I wouldn't be able to take the whole of him into my mouth so I wanted to make sure that I licked all of him. I traced his veins with the tip of my tongue: He was painfully hard for me.

Suddenly there was a loud honking sound somewhere from behind and I jumped, startled. I turned bright red. Did someone see what I was doing? I looked at Eric questioning him with my eyes. He was very annoyed that we were interrupted.

"Pay it no mind," he said quickly. "They simply wanted me to speed up. I'm driving too slow."

He glared at me playfully, but I breathed with relief. It would have been very embarrassing if someone had been honking because they caught us. I looked around and only then realised that Eric was driving _really _slow; he even let the honking driver pass. I laughed loudly.

"Please_,_ don't stop," Ericsaid, bringing my attention back to him.

Look who was suddenly all well-mannered and being polite! It didn't escape my notice that he actually said 'please' either.

From the look of things he didn't lose interest in the slightest and I realised that he must have been really uncomfortable. Since there wasn't a car close behind us, and despite the unexpected halt making me nervous, I didn't want Eric to be disappointed.

_Besides, how could I pass on the opportunity to show him that asking politely pays off? That would be terrible of me!_

I leaned back down to continue. The time for games was over. I wasn't cruel and he deserved some relief after I had put him in this state. I kissed his tip and then sucked in as much of him as I could.

"Yessss," Eric hissed and that was the last coherent thing he said for a while.

I worked him the best I could, quite happy with the effect it was having on him.

This time I wasn't playing around; I was going straight for the kill. Eric gripped the steering wheel hard as I sucked him dry with all my might and skill; making up with enthusiasm for what I lacked inexperience. If Eric's reaction was any indication, I think I was doing quite well. Finally I felt him shudder and he pulsed in my mouth.

"Feel free to slow me down like this any time," he said in a deep voice once he calmed down.

I was feeling rather pleased with myself.

I smiled dazedly (and smugly) at him and opened my handbag, looking for the tissues I had there.

Eric reached his hand to me and stroked my cheek gently with the back of his fingers .

"Don't you get soft on me," I commented and snickered at my own unintentional bad joke.

"Never," he swore hotly with a smirk of his own.

After I cleaned up the mess we made I fished my makeup supplies out of my bag and I looked in the mirror to reapply my lipstick. I acted on sudden impulse: I bend and reached again into his pants to plant one more lipstick mark, this time on his tip.

"Stay there," I murmured sternly hovering over him, before I tucked him back and straighted myself.

The thought that the mark would be there all night hidden under Eric's elegant clothes, but I'd be the only one to know that was strangely appealing. I caught Eric's glance in the reflection and erupted into a fit of giggles. I couldn't believe I reallly did it!**  
**

"You know, I'd have to shower at some point," he said. "This lipstick _is _going come off eventually. You _can_, however, put it back there, once it happens."

I wanted to reply, but I was shaking with silly amusement and couldn't form any words.

I felt the car pulling to a stop and realised we'd arrived at our destination. Eric killed the engine, got out of the car then vamped to the passenger's side and opened my doors for me. I appreciated his help because there was no way I could have stepped out of the Corvette gracefully while wearing a dress without flashing anybody had I not had his arm to support me. However, once I straightened up, he didn't let go of my hand, but instead pulled me close to him and did something he couldn't have done before since he had been driving – he caught my lips in one hell of a kiss. I felt it all the way from my mouth to my toes and everywhere in between.

There went my lipstick again.

I took a deep gulp of air when he released me and I was still trying to get my giggling under control. I felt like the carefree teenage girl that I had never been.

"What?" I asked Eric when I noticed he was staring at me.

There was something in the way he was looking at me, something I couldn't quite put my finger on.

"What?" I asked him again, a little embarrassed but unable to stop laughing.

"Nothing," he said after a beat, putting his hand on the small of my back. "Let's go inside."

* * *

**Unlike Eric, feel free to say what's on your mind.  
**


End file.
